Sibley, Burns made of 'right stuff' as openers, says Andrew Strauss

Former skipper Andrew Strauss believes that batsmen Dom Sibley and Rory Burns are "made of the right stuff temperamentally" to form a durable opening partnership for England.

Sibley and Burns stitched England's first century stand in a home Test since 2016 during the final Test against Windies on Sunday, with both scoring their respective half-centuries.

"I think Sibley and Burns at the top of the order are made of the right stuff temperamentally. They've both got quite quirky but very effective games. And, as we all know, if the openers do their job then it makes it so much easier for the players coming in down the order," ESPNcricinfo quoted Strauss as saying.

"When I cast my mind back to the time I was director of cricket, there was frustration that the Test team seemed to take one step forward and one step back. We weren't making the progress we wanted, particularly with top-order batting. We're closer to sorting the batting conundrum than we have been for some time. I think that is a big tick," he added.

England requires eight wickets to seal the series on the final day of the Test while the visitors need 389 runs to win the match. The winner will claim the three-match Test series, which currently stands at 1-1.