
Shoaib Bashir defies injury to claim final wicket in dramatic England win
They shared four wickets as India fell to 147 for nine chasing 193, but the dogged Ravindra Jadeja looked like dragging the tourists over the line.
He made 61 not out in 181 balls but was stranded at the non-striker's end as England snatched a 22-run triumph and a 2-1 series lead, with Bashir the unlikely matchwinner.
The 21-year-old spinner has barely been seen since suffering a suspected fracture to the little finger of his left hand but he removed number 11 Mohammed Siraj with the penultimate ball of his sixth over to spark riotous celebrations.
The ball was defended off the face of Siraj's bat but had enough spin on it to rip back off the pitch and into leg stump, flicking the bail off in what felt like slow motion.
Approximately half of the 30,000 sellout crowd exploded in ecstasy but a large and loud India contingent fell silent having started to believe in a remarkable result of their own.
Bashir had spent most of the day watching nervously with the England coaching staff, called on sparingly for just two short spells. His injury may yet keep him out of the fourth Test at Old Trafford but his last-gasp intervention will live long in the memory.
So will Jadeja's remarkable rearguard, which included stands of 30 in 91 balls for the eighth wicket, 35 in 132 for the ninth and 23 in 80 alongside Siraj. It was a long and determined grind at the opposite end of the spectrum from the theatrical pursuits of England's 'Bazball' era but utterly unmissable.
England, meanwhile, must be thankful to Stokes and Archer – two of their 2019 heroes reprising roles at the heart of the drama. Without their huge contributions in shaping the morning session, at one stage combining to take three for 11, India would surely have got home at a canter.
Archer was handed first use of the Pavilion End and rewarded the captain's faith when he blew Rishabh Pant away with his 11th delivery of the day. Pant was clearly struggling with the finger injury that prevented him keeping wicket in England's second innings but had just hit a remarkable one-handed four when Archer ripped one past the outside edge and sent off stump flying.
KL Rahul increasingly looked like the key man for India, his ability to soak up pressure a vital resource in a tense pursuit. But he was unable to move the dial for his team, eeking out just six runs in 35 minutes, before being undone for 39 in the middle of a mammoth nine-over spell by Stokes.
Stokes appealed long and hard after rapping the opener's front pad deep in the crease, falling to his knees as he failed to persuade umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat. He did not need any persuasion to signal for a review and ball tracking confirmed that Rahul was bang to rights.
England celebrations suggested they knew it was a pivotal moment. The hosts were now clear favourites and a flash of inspiration in the next over cemented their position.
Washington Sundar had predicted India would 'definitely' win 'just after lunch' in a television interview but the all-rounder's bold claim was rewarded with a four-ball duck, Archer leaping to claim a stunning caught and bowled after taking the leading edge.
A set of five wides from Archer, trampolining over Jamie Smith's head, took a handy chunk out of the target and a flicked single from Jadeja took the chase into double figures for the first time.
Stokes called for some noise from the home supporters but the numbers game was against him, with India chants erupting as an inside edge from Nitish Kumar Reddy brought up the visitors' hundred.
Brydon Carse took over from Archer and found himself at the centre of a flashpoint as Jadeja collided with him while making a run. It was an accidental coming together but that did not stop Stokes inserting himself into the situation as terse words were exchanged.
The eight-wicket stand had just started to become a genuine cause for concern when Chris Woakes came to the party, rewarded for a tidy line when Reddy shaped to defend and nicked off with three just seconds left before the lunch break. He threw his head back in dismay before the umpire even raised his finger, his hard work undone at the last to leave the score at 112 for eight.
The afternoon session stretched to two-and-a-half hours after the ninth wicket fell, Bumrah flapping Stokes to substitute fielder Sam Cook at mid-on as 54 balls of dogged defence came undone in the midst of another monster 10-over stint from the indefatigable captain.
Just 51 were scored in that time as Jadeja nudged his side gently towards what had seemed a distant target at the start of the session.
England were shattered but Stokes was brave enough to throw the ball to Bashir at the start of the final session. Siraj looked like he had the nerve to help Jadeja finish the job, a huge long shot as they came together with 46 still needed. But the final ball of a captivating contest got the best of him, the ricochet doing just enough to disturb his stumps.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
India star fires fierce accusation at England players to "clear the air once and for all"
India captain Shubman Gill clashed with England batters Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett during the third Rothesay Test at Lord's and has now given his side of the story Shubman Gill has accused England openers of breaching the spirit of cricket by dragging their feet. The Indian captain claimed Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were 90 seconds late to the crease at the start of their second innings at Lord's - which lit the blue touchpaper for a feisty conclusion to England's tense 22-run win. When Crawley backed away, and then called for treatment after being struck on the bottom hand by a lifting delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, finger-wagging Gill saw led a posse of Indian players remonstrating with him for blatant timewasting to run down the clock. Ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Gill explained: 'A lot of people have been asking me about it, so let me clear the air once and for all. The English batsmen on that day had seven minutes' play left, but they were 90 seconds late coming to the crease - not 10, not 20, but 90 seconds late. 'Yes, most teams use this (ploy), but there's a manner to do it. If you get hit on the body, the physios are allowed to come on and that is fair. But to be able to come 90 seconds late to the crease is not something that comes in the spirit of the game. 'Leading up to that event, a lot of things happened that we thought should not have happened. It's not something I'm very proud of but there was a build-up - it didn't just come out of nowhere. 'We had no intention of doing that whatsoever but you're playing to win and there are a lot of emotions. Sometimes when you see things happening that should not happen, emotions come out of nowhere.' England were unimpressed by India's hostility towards Crawley and Duckett - and white-ball captain Harry Brook admitted they resolved to 'get stuck in' and reciprocate the aggression. India tuned up for their date at Old Trafford by paying a visit to Manchester United's Carrington training ground. It is not known whether United boss Ruben Amorim recommended batting or bowling first if Gill wins the toss for the first time in the series.


Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Erik ten Hag wants to sign Raheem Sterling after failed Man Utd transfer approach
Raheem Sterling has returned to Chelsea following his loan spell with Arsenal and the England international has emerged as a surprise target for Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen Erik ten Hag is keen to finally link up with Raheem Sterling after failing to sign him at Manchester United. Ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly one of several clubs monitoring Sterling's future after the England international was told that he could leave Chelsea. Sterling, whose last appearance for his country came at the 2022 World Cup, spent last season on loan at Arsenal. But the winger, 30, struggled for regular game-time, making just five starts in the Premier League. Having returned to Chelsea at the end of the 2024-25 season, Sterling is still not in Enzo Maresca's plans after being dramatically frozen out at the beginning of last term. That's when links of a shock move to United emerged. Despite playing for both Liverpool and Manchester City, it was claimed that the Red Devils were in talks with Chelsea, as Ten Hag was interested in Sterling. It was part of negotiations for Jadon Sancho to head the other way during the closing stages of the summer transfer window. Sancho did end up going to Stamford Bridge whereas Sterling ultimately joined Arsenal, who pulled off a final-day swoop. Eleven months later, however, Ten Hag appears to be back in for the ex-Liverpool and City star. BBC Sport report that Leverkusen, who appointed Ten Hag as their new manager in May, are keeping an eye on Sterling with a view to a potential transfer. It's added that a number of clubs on the continent are interested in the 30-year-old. Sterling still has two years left on his contract with Chelsea, who paid City £47.5m for his services in 2022. Leverkusen have cultivated English talent before, particularly wide players. Nottingham Forest forward Callum Hudson-Odoi had a season-long loan with the German giants while former Southampton ace Nathan Tella has played for Leverkusen since 2023. Ten Hag is looking to bolster his squad after losing star man Florian Wirtz to Liverpool as well as Jeremie Frimpong. Granit Xhaka is also pushing for a move to Sunderland while defender Jonathan Tah signed for Bayern Munich before Ten Hag had started his role. So far, Leverkusen's signings include PSV Eindhoven star Malik Tillman, Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken and Hertha Berlin playmaker Ibrahim Maza. Their pre-season campaign got underway in humiliating fashion with a 5-1 defeat against Brazilian side Flamengo's UNDER-20 side. Coincidentally, Leverkusen will play Chelsea in a friendly at Stamford Bridge on Friday, August 8. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Former SPFL star becomes first player to score against Everton at their new Hill Dickinson stadium
He had spells at Stranraer, Queen of the South and Queen's Park before his move down south HISTORY MAKER Former SPFL star becomes first player to score against Everton at their new Hill Dickinson stadium Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A former SPFL star has etched his name into the history books by becoming the first player to score at Everton's new Hill Dickinson stadium. Ruari Paton opened the scoring in a closed-doors friendly match for Port Vale in their 2-1 defeat against the Premier League outfit in their new home on Tuesday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Ruari Paton had an impressive season at Queen's Park Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 He was loaned to Dundee United last January Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Everton's new ground is to officially open next month Credit: Getty The former Queen of the South, Queen's Park and Dundee United striker netted after just two minutes, slotting past England international Jordan Pickford. He almost doubled the lead for the English League One new boys on 20 minutes with a curling effort, after bringing the ball the down and holding off his man, but Pickford saved. Paton joined Port Vale from Queen's Park last summer for an undisclosed six-figure fee after an impressive year. He netted 22 goals for the Spiders and was nominated for Scottish Championship team of the season and player of the season. After struggling for game time at the Vale, he returned to Scotland and joined Dundee United on loan in January. He made 13 appearances for Jim Goodwin's side but failed to score during his time at Tannadice. The 24-year-old only played 45 minutes of the friendly against Everton as Darren Moore's side played with two different XIs. Port Vale's two teams included former SPFL players such as ex-Aberdeen pair Funso Ojo and Jayden Stockley, and there were also minutes for former Motherwell defender Ben Heneghan. Everton recovered from the early setback to win 2-1, with goals coming from Charly Alcaraz and James Garner. Next up for David Moyes' side is a trip to the United States to take part in the Premier League Summer Series. Jim Goodwin on THAT Darvel defeat, Aberdeen axe and rebuilding his career at Dundee United They'll face Bournemouth, West Ham and Manchester United across New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta. They will then come up against Roma in a friendly ahead of the official opening of their new stadium next month. The state of the art venue is built at Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the River Mersey, with a capacity of just under 53,000. Liverpool-based law firm Hill Dickinson is the official naming rights partner. Their old ground Goodison will now become the home of the women's side after plans to demolish the 132-year stadium were scrapped. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page