West Indies v England, 2014-15

At St George's, Grenada, April 21-25, 2015. England won by nine wickets. Toss: England.
Two hours of unexpectedly sumptuous Test cricket produced a display to rank with anything Jimmy Anderson had achieved in a tireless career. Having overtaken Ian Botham's record in the First Test, he now conjured up a performance of which Botham himself would have been proud. The script heading into the final day appeared to have been written in advance: this would be the second draw of an attritional series played out on the kind of slow, lifeless pitch that had become a blight on the Caribbean game - though this was only the third Test here. On an island famed for nutmeg, it was proceeding with a distinct lack of spice.

Yet, in one of those passages of play that keeps Test cricket relevant in a fast-moving world, a slow burner exploded into life. Not long after, England had completed the most satisfying victory of Peter Moores's second spell as coach; though he didn't know it at the time, it would also be his last. Anderson's journey towards Botham's tally had become a protracted affair, as nerves - and perhaps fatigue - threatened to slow him. Now, in a manner reminiscent of the final day against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2013, he sewed up a Test almost on his own. He was involved in all six West Indian wickets to fall on the last morning, leaving England just 143 for victory. They cruised home, with Cook and Ballance both contributing their second half-centuries of the game. Almost from nowhere, England led 1-0.

Those six wickets had come in all shapes and sizes. It was hardly unusual for Anderson to take three with the new ball: Brathwaite, having completed his fourth Test hundred, fell to a beauty that reared at him; Chanderpaul was caught at first slip by Cook, twisting, turning and juggling to collect a rebound from Bell at second; and Samuels, caught behind off the toe-end as he tried to withdraw his bat. But Anderson, who claimed that trio for one run in 23 balls, also held two catches and - the cherry on the cake - ran out Holder with a direct hit from mid-off after Ballance had fumbled at cover.

From the apparent security of 224 for two - a lead of 59 - West Indies had plummeted to 282 for eight, including the first of three wickets at a cost of three runs for Ali's off-breaks, and, after four days and two sessions of hard toil, an English victory was in sight. Even before West Indies' last-day collapse, there was still plenty of incident for the spectators to absorb. Not for the first time against England, much of it involved Samuels.

During West Indies' visit to England in 2012, he had clashed with Graham Onions at Edgbaston; this time, his target was Stokes. He had been at the centre of the action on the first day after Cook won an important toss. The pitch started damp but, in humid conditions, Anderson - despite striking early to bowl Brathwaite with a perfect inswinger - was below his best, and Broad off-key. Stokes, who had bowled 32 wicketless overs in Antigua raised fears of a serious injury when he slipped on the greasy outfield, but recovered to strike with his second ball, as Chanderpaul squirted low to point. England, though, missed a chance to skittle West Indies when Cook dropped Samuels at slip on 32 off Jordan. By the end of a first day shortened by rain to 70 overs, Samuels had made exactly half his side's 188 for five.

In the meantime, Stokes had evidently concluded it was a good idea to test him out with some sledging. Initially, at least, the policy backfired: Samuels enjoyed the sight of Stokes conceding an overthrow with a wild run-out attempt. Then, at the close-of-play press conference, Samuels scored a few more points. "Ben Stokes is basically battling himself," he said, "because he has just come into cricket, while I've been around for a while. I keep telling him that, but tomorrow I might have to tell him something different, because he's not listening. He keeps talking to me, and when you talk to me it motivates me to keep batting. It's obvious the English boys don't learn. Let's see what they say when I'm 150."

Samuels did reach three figures next day, but he had overplayed his hand, falling in the 13th over for 103 as he drove Anderson to Bell at second slip, the bowler earning a rebuke from umpire Bruce Oxenford for roaring in Samuels's face. It was the cue for Broad, who had bowled at barely 80mph for much of the first day, to produce one of the potent spells that have defined his career. Suddenly clocking closer to 90mph, an improvement he put down to a technical adjustment, he took three for six in 20 balls, before a last-wicket stand of 52 between Bishoo and Gabriel - who had replaced Suliemann Benn and the injured Jerome Taylor - helped West Indies to 299.

Cook went about regaining the initiative, putting on 125 with Trott - the first three figure stand by England's openers since March 2013, when Cook and Nick Compton made 231 at Dunedin. In this innings he overtook Alec Stewart to become his country's second highest Test run-scorer behind Graham Gooch; his first run in the second innings broke Wally Hammond's England record of 4,245 Test runs overseas. Yet England's reply belonged to the two Yorkshire batsmen who, Cook said afterwards, would go on to break plenty of records themselves.

The undoubted star was Root, who lifted his side to 464 - and a decisive lead of 165. He was sublime, immediately upping the scoring-rate, and dominating a fourth-wicket stand of 165 with his county colleague Ballance. On the way to his sixth Test hundred, Root equalled the England record of six scores of 50 or more in succession. Not that Samuels and Stokes could be kept out of the picture. After Stokes had carelessly pulled the leg-spin of Bishoo to deep midwicket, Samuels found a novel way of celebrating the dismissal, standing alongside him and saluting, poker-faced and military-style.

His gesture became an instant internet hit, though Stokes did not see the funny side. Root - who hit four sixes, all off Bishoo - would surely have reached his second double-century if Anderson, after helping him add 33 for the final wicket, had not run himself out, failing to ground his bat while seemingly unaware that Holder had collected the ball by the stumps. Root walked off shaking his head.

But Anderson had been forgiven his carelessness by lunch on the last day, and West Indies' eventual dismissal for 307 - extending their collapse either side of the interval to eight for 83 - left England's batsmen with little to do. Trott dragged Gabriel on to his stumps in the second over to depart for a duck. But Cook and Ballance, who completed 1,000 Test runs in only his tenth game, wrapped up their first win abroad for 11 Tests, stretching back to December 2012 in Kolkata, to retain the Wisden Trophy.
Man of the Match: J. E. Root.