Ben Stokes claims vital run out at Lord's as England toil in third Test
At tea the tourists were 71 behind on 316 for five, England toiling in the heat for two wickets as they watched their first-innings lead slowly dissolve.
Advertisement
Centurion KL Rahul and the dangerous Rishabh Pant were three balls away from inflicting a wicketless opening session when the latter was opportunistically dismissed on 74, Stokes pulling a rabbit from the hat as he hurled down the stumps at the bowler's end.
Having ended a draining stand of 141, England struck again after lunch when Shoaib Bashir had Rahul caught at slip for an even 100.
But the trail went cold again as Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy took up the fight with a painstaking partnership of 62 in 143 deliveries.
Another run out was England's best chance of success, four chances going begging in the middle session as Stokes' team-mates failed to match his precision. Ollie Pope was off target twice as Reddy survived a nervy start.
Advertisement
The only other opportunity came when Jadeja smashed a hard return catch at Bashir, who copped a painful blow to the left little finger and left the field immediately seeking treatment.
Jofra Archer added a dash of excitement to proceedings with a lively spell with the old ball, hitting 94mph in a burst that was recorded as his fastest for England since his debut on the same ground in 2019.
Ben Stokes produced a vital run out at Lord's on day three of the third Test (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Archer started the day with four overs at the Pavilion End, a solid start but one that could not ruffle the feathers of Rahul and Pant.
He and Chris Woakes put together 31 successive balls without a run off the bat but the pressure was released when Brydon Carse entered the fray and shipped 22 off his first two overs.
Advertisement
Rahul picked off three consecutive fours to add to his overnight 53 and Pant began to go through his repertoire off attacking strokes.
He failed to connect with his trademark rollover ramp but did leather Woakes for a couple of clean boundaries and hooked Stokes for six to reach his half-century in style.
He welcomed Bashir's belated introduction 20 minutes before lunch with another big six but saw his fun ended by Stokes' direct hit in the last over of the morning's play.
Rahul was 98 not out at the time and his imminent landmark may well have played a role in the risky call. Rahul did make it to three figures after the restart but went no further, flashing a drive at Bashir moments later and feeding Harry Brook at slip.
Advertisement
Confused calling between Jadeja and Reddy gave England ample opportunity to get another run out but the radar was off – Pope reprieving Reddy twice at the start of his innings, while Carse and Ben Duckett also missed the target.
Bashir's injury further dented England's options but the toothless use of the second new ball will have concerned the home side just as much.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea boss Maresca hails 'great triumph' in winning Club World Cup
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca insisted winning the Club World Cup meant as much as winning the Champions League after his side beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the first edition of FIFA's new competition on Sunday. "I have the feeling that this competition is going to be as important, if not more important than, the Champions League," said Maresca after adding the trophy to the UEFA Conference League title his team won in May. Advertisement Maresca only took over at Chelsea a year ago but was previously on the coaching staff under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City when they won the Champions League in 2023. "I was lucky to be on the coaching staff of a team that won the Champions League a few years ago, but this competition features the best teams in the world and I think we can value it on the same level," said the Italian. "It is a great triumph for us and it will allow the Chelsea fans to have that on our shirt for the next four years, so it is a source of pride." Maresca said he instructed his players to go out and take the game to PSG from the off -- they went on to net all three goals in the first half with Cole Palmer netting a brace before Joao Pedro added his name to the scoresheet. Advertisement "The message was to let them understand that we were here to win the game and I think in the first 10 minutes we showed them that," Maresca said. "That set the tone of the game, and then the quality of the players was also important." England international Palmer was named player of the match after bagging a brace and setting up Joao Pedro's goal. The 23-year-old therefore lived up to his superstar billing -- his face has appeared on billboards around New York advertising the tournament, alongside the likes of Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. "To score the goals was a great feeling, as was the way the team showed fire out there -- the gaffer's game plan was spot on," he said. Advertisement "I just try to do my job every time I go onto the pitch and hopefully I will continue. "I have seen the billboards in Times Square and outside Madison Square Garden and it is obviously a nice feeling to be alongside those players," he added. as/bb
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Lionesses swat Netherlands aside to get title defence back on track
England were back to their scintillating selves as they swatted the Netherlands aside and forgot all about their opening-day defeat to France. The defending champions returned to the Stadion Letizgrund in Zurich after a 2-1 loss to Les Bleues on matchday one of their European Championships title defence, and players and manager alike bemoaned the Lionesses' performance. Advertisement Concerns and worries were high as they took on the in-form Dutch in their second Group D fixture, with Andries Jonker's side topping the table after an impressive 3-0 win over Wales. However, England ripped up the form book, and decimated their opponents with a devastating display. Wiegman made just the one change to the side that were beaten by France, with Beth Mead dropped for Ella Toone, who moved into the No10 hole, while Lauren James shifted to the right-wing berth. The tactical tweak worked a treat. James was the two-goal hero, notching a superb left-footed effort on 22 minutes, before doubling her tally on the hour after the ball richocheted kindly into her path, with both Alessia Russo and Ella Toone having swipes from the Lauren Hemp delivery. Advertisement Georgia Stanway made it two on the stroke of half-time with a well-taken half-volley that nestled into the corner of Daphne van Domselaar's net, and Toone got in on the act on 67 minutes, as she worked a yard of space to snap off a left-footed effort that squeezed in. It is a statement victory for England, who could so easily have been embarrassingly knocked out this evening had they lost and France beaten Wales. However, that is not the case, and they take on their fellow Home Nation on matchday three in a far stronger position, knowing that their fate is well and truly in their own hands, supplemented by a much healthier goal difference.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
England 6-1 Wales: Lionesses rout Wales to set up Sweden showdown in quarter-finals
England thrashed Wales 6-1 to cruise into the last eight of Euro 2025 at the AFG Arena in St Gallen. The Lionesses, who came perilously close to an embarrassing early exit ahead of their second group game against the Netherlands earlier this week, have shown superb character to rediscover their winning formula, first by decimating the Dutch 4-0 in Zurich, and now to walloping Wales for six. Advertisement Sarina Wiegman's side were electric throughout, and started as they meant to go on as Georgia Stanway opened the scoring from the penalty spot. The Bayern Munich midfielder showed great feet to bamboozle Carrie Jones on the edge of the Welsh area, and she was felled by the Norrkoping youngster, initially winning a free kick before VAR upgraded the decision to a spot-kick. Ella Toone made it two shortly after as she stabbed home after Alessia Russo had been denied from close range from Olivia Clark, and the Lionesses threatened to run riot inside the half-hour as Lauren Hemp towered above Esther Morgan at the far post to nod a Toone delivery home. Russo had her goal at long last a minute shy of the interval, with Toone the provider once more after some lovely interplay down the right between the Manchester United midfielder, Lauren James, and Lucy Bronze. Toone got to the byline and cut it back for her close friend to take a touch, and stab into the corner. Advertisement It took England another half hour to notch a fifth, and it was one of the substitutes - Beth Mead - who showed poise and composure to feint and shift onto her left, arrowing beyond Clark. The goal demonstrates the serious strength in depth that Wiegman has at her disposal. Hannah Cain scored a sublime consolation just four minutes later for Wales after a moment of genius from Jess Fishlock, who steamed forwards determinedly, before sliding in her team-mate with a superb pass. Cain rattled home beyond Hampton to spoil the Lionesses' clean sheet, but the gloss was reapplied on the victory in the dying embers, as Aggie Beever-Jones scored her first major tournament goal with a header from close-range. It wrapped up a superb evening for Wiegman's side, with the Dutch boss able to rest her key figures in preparation for Sweden in the quarter-finals. They looked dead and buried after that narrow 2-1 defeat to France, but now, the Lionesses' title defence is alive.
