England captain Joe Root said he was "really proud" of his team after the drawn first Test against the West Indies provided some respite from a disappointing winter.
England arrived in the Caribbean under plenty of scrutiny after the 4-0 Ashes drubbing by Australia, but the tourists showed plenty more fight at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
After the West Indies claimed a 64-run lead in the first innings, England moved ahead and boldly declared on 349-6 with a lead of 285. The decision looked to pay off when England reduced the hosts to 67-4 but man of the match Nkrumah Bonner - who scored a century in the first innings - and Jason Holder combined for an 80-run partnership to send the match to a draw.
"I'm really proud of the team today, the [whole] week actually," Root said after England came up six wickets short of bowling out West Indies in the second innings in Antigua.
"From that first hour when we found ourselves in a tricky spot (losing four quick wickets), I think the character we showed off the back of the previous tour to not panic and get ourselves back in the game ... we got better and better on a very docile wicket for our seamers. A lot of good signs going into the rest of the series."
England's cause was not helped by the absence in the second innings of Mark Wood, out with a right elbow injury that Root said would be evaluated before the second Test starting in Barbados on Wednesday. Wood's presence might not have made much difference in the end, but it certainly did not help the cause.
"On that sort of wicket the extra bit of pace with the reverse (swing) is exactly what you want," Root said.
The captain, one of three century-makers on the England team, heaped praise on the other two, veteran Jonny Bairstow and young Zak Crawley. Bairstow, coming off a century in his final Test in Australia, was ultra-cautious early before cutting loose later in his knock of 140 in the first innings.
"Jonny, to read the game and play that kind of innings in that situation, showed great maturity and you could see the confidence he took from the way he played in the back end of Australia," Root said.
Crawley's 121 in the second innings provided evidence of why England stuck with him after a long lean spell that followed a double century against Pakistan in 2020.
"(Crawley) showed a huge amount of character to stand up as one of the more senior batters now within this team," Root said. "It was really important he played an innings like that, more for himself, not necessarily for the rest of us (because) we know how talented he is and what he's capable of."
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite was also pleased with his team's efforts and believes there are some areas for them to improve which can give them the platform to chase after victories for the rest of the series.
"Hard fought, all five days ... we showed we had some fight at the end," he said. "Great effort from the bowling group and our batters, as well. First innings, we were good with new ball [but] in the middle we need to find ways to be tighter. If we bring the runs down throughout the innings, that builds pressure and makes those wickets easier to get. There are areas in terms of run rate where we could improve, especially in the middle overs."
The second of the three-Test series begins on Wednesday in Bridgetown.
