Joe Root felt his England side could have taken more risks in the second test match against the West Indies. The Barmy Army drew the penultimate match of the series in Barbados, as they failed to dislodge the resolute Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
In front his home crowd, he scored a magnificent 160 to lead his side to a first innings score of 411, and made an unbeaten 56 in the second innings to ensure his side would share the spoils. The opening batsman faced a combined total of 673 balls in the match, the most ever by a West Indian batsman and went on to receive the player of the match award.
Root and Ben Stokes scored magnificent centuries of their own in the first innings as England declared on 511/9. The skipper also ended the second innings when his side were 185/6, setting West Indies a target of 282.
However, in hindsight, Root thinks he could have declared slightly earlier to give England a greater opportunity of securing an unlikely day five win. "It's frustrating not to get the win, but the way we played was a brilliant effort on a very placid surface," said Root. "It's not a win, but it feels like another step forward.
"We could have maybe been a bit braver with the declaration, but it feels like a faster scoring ground here. I thought they might have a little go [at chasing], but it wasn't the case. Maybe we could have pulled out 10 overs earlier, but defending 240 in 70 overs might be a big ask for any side on that wicket.
"We didn't try to go for a miracle win in 30 overs, making sure we had 340 on the board, but I suppose the more confident you get, the braver you might get with those decisions. The most important thing is to keep finding ways of giving ourselves a chance to win Tests because we are finding positions where we're on top and commanding the game."
Root had some kind words for his opposing captain, who showed great patience and resilience - qualities that have often been lacking in the West Indies batting lineup in the game’s longest format. "It was annoying how good he was," added Root. "He played brilliantly in both innings and ground us down.
"He takes it deep time and time again, he had a clear game plan and stuck to it very well." Brathwaite said he was looking forward to a well-earned rest ahead of the deciding third Test in Grenada from Thursday.
"I'm a little tired and looking forward to getting some rest," he said. "I had my plan. They bowled well, but I stuck with my plan and it paid off. It's about discipline, knowing my strengths and sticking to them for as long as possible. I managed to do it very long in this game."
