Latest news with #TestMatch
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shoaib Bashir grabs six Zimbabwe wickets as England win Test in three days
There were periods of resistance, some eye-catching shots and supporters cheering them on from the stands. But Zimbabwe could not prevent the inevitable or even reach the fourth day. England, inspired by six wickets from Shoaib Bashir, wrapped up this one-off Test by an innings and 45 runs. Even factoring in lowly opposition who froze on day one and could only battle for respectability thereafter, nine wickets in the match added up to another chapter in Bashir's remarkable rise. After all, he was plugging away on loan for Glamorgan at the start of the summer and had just two victims to show for it. Related: Ben Stokes hits out at 'twisted agenda' over centurion Pope's status Things change when Bashir slips on an England shirt and pops up the collar like Eric Cantona back in the day. Assisted by a breeze and pumped full of weapons-grade confidence by Ben Stokes, the 21-year-old got the ball to drift and drop on Zimbabwe's batters in a manner that bodes well for the days ahead. India are up next and England need their spinner in form. It was needed, too. Tasked with backing up their efforts from the previous day, England's seamers struggled for impact a second time around. Sam Cook was struggling to summon up his county form on debut, while Gus Atkinson was clearly nursing a sore quad muscle and sent down three overs. Josh Tongue, though dutifully pounding in to deliver a short-ball plan for his captain, was not quite extracting the same bite as witnessed 24 hours earlier. They were also met by a second stirring pushback from Zimbabwe to follow Brian Bennett's whizz-bang century on day two. Following on and resuming on 30 for two, a fourth-wicket stand worth 122 runs from Sean Williams and Ben Curran – the former dashing, the latter digging in – was giving rise to thoughts of a wicketless morning. Only Stokes looked threatening among the quicks. But on the stroke of lunch an arm ball from Bashir beat a sweep by Williams on 88 and delivered a tight lbw. Curran slapped one straight to Stokes at cover after the restart to leave Zimbabwe 142 for four, 158 runs arrears, with only a dashing 60 from the experienced Sikandar Raza softening what followed. Bashir, as Stokes stressed after the win, is not the finished article. But he is a quick learner, as shown by his growing improvement to the right-handers. After unstitching the Zimbabwe lower order – the juiciest being another dipper that castled Tafadzwa Tsiga – those county struggles felt a distant memory. While Stokes was delighted for Bashir, he was simply in awe at the catch that produced his own wicket. Harry Brook was the fielder in question, producing a one-handed screamer above his head at second slip to remove Wesley Madhevere for 31. Having left Stuart Broad aghast on this ground with a similar stunner 10 years ago, Stokes was now the one wide-eyed. Related: Sean Williams seizes rare Test chance as Zimbabwe show love and pride in defeat | Andy Bull Beyond the niggle to Atkinson, and perhaps some concerns at Cook looking a bit toothless on day two, it added up to a pretty satisfactory outing for England. Most encouraging was probably Stokes sending down 11.2 overs without the body creaking. That he extracted good movement from a batter-friendly surface was an added bonus. While he would have liked some time in the middle, his top order cashed in on the first day with centuries for Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope. The subject of the latter's place was the captain's only gripe, insisting his suggestion of an instant return for Jacob Bethell before the match had been misinterpreted. After Pope's 171, even against a callow attack on a high-scoring ground, Bethell will surely have to wait his turn. As for Zimbabwe, it is not often a team swept aside by an innings is the one doing the lap of honour. But after waiting 22 years to play in England, and Bennett etching his name in history, they were well within their rights to thank their wonderful fans. It may not have been much of a contest out in the middle but this was still a significant Test match.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pope determined to prove he warrants England place and Stokes' defence
A Test match that began with England saying they wanted to be better at media interactions and show a touch more humility ended with the captain growling about his words being twisted. And they say a week is a long time in politics … It was my question that sparked all this, as it happens. The day before the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, I asked Ben Stokes about Jacob Bethell, the conversations that surrounded his absence to play in the Indian Premier League, and whether, as the 'incumbent No 3' who made such an impression in New Zealand, he would be 'straight back in' for the series against India. Related: Shoaib Bashir grabs six Zimbabwe wickets as England win Test in three days That this referred to the playing XI felt implicit, and when Stokes talked up Bethell and told those present to put 'two and two together', so too did an instant return. But Stokes also went on to praise James Rew, the spare batter in Nottingham, and in his mind this made it perfectly clear he was referring to Bethell returning to the squad. Not that the word 'squad' was ever used. An honest mix-up, therefore, and not, as Stokes claimed after the victory, a deliberate misinterpretation designed to heap pressure on Ollie Pope. Besides, with England having played Bethell at No 3 for the entire New Zealand series, keeping Pope behind the stumps even after a spare wicketkeeper arrived on tour, debate around that position was pretty inevitable. Pope was a lot more chilled about all this come the end of the Trent Bridge Test, a slick 171 during England's 565 for six declared – and yet more cat-like reflexes at short leg – no doubt helping. While acknowledging a combined Test average of 22 against India and Australia, this year's big boss opponents, is slightly suboptimal, the vice-captain fancies he has come on a bit since. 'I completely own that my numbers aren't good enough against those guys, and I accept that,' Pope said. 'But I think I am a better player. Hopefully over the next year I can prove that. I did that a little bit in India last year [a match-winning 196 in Hyderabad] but I look forward to doing it this summer and winter. 'It will be good to have [Bethell] back in the squad. The selectors can make their decision and I will try to score my runs.' It is very England these days that competition for a player with eight Test centuries should come from a player yet to score one in senior cricket. But in Bethell they see a talent who is arguably more suited to the international game, where batters are tested by higher pace and more regularly on the back foot than in the County Championship. Those three half-centuries in New Zealand, including a near-miss 96, gave a taste of his suitability. The difference between the two levels is also being shown by Shoaib Bashir, whose nine-wicket Test – even factoring in the quality of opposition – continued a divergence from his county numbers. In 14 outings for Somerset and his various loan sides, Bashir has taken 18 wickets at an average of 85. In 16 Tests the 21-year-old now has 58 wickets at 36 and takes one every 58 balls – a strike rate that is better than Graeme Swann (60.1) or Moeen Ali (61.8). Not that anyone is claiming that Bashir has reached their level just yet. By his own admission, Bashir still takes time to settle into spells and his accuracy – something that will only be grooved by repetition – is a work in progress. But as Stokes noted after the win (words that could not be misinterpreted), Bashir is now beginning to challenge both sides of the right-hander's bat. 'We know that we've got a very special talent,' he said. Looking ahead to India, a greater uncertainty is the make-up of the seam attack (even if rotation will blur the pecking order); not just how Brydon Carse slots back into it after his breakout winter but whether Sam Cook can hold his spot as the new ball specialist given Chris Woakes's summer is now belatedly under way. Figures of one for 119 across 31 overs from Cook may have further cemented England's view of Test cricket being a very different beast to the Championship. It would be pretty harsh to judge Cook on the basis of one outing and a ground that is notoriously high-scoring. The surface at Trent Bridge, and the success of Bashir, also pointed to how dry the English season has been so far. As one reader pointed out below the line on Saturday, a continuation could make the Bazballers versus India's spinners the key battle. There is just under a month for all this to work itself out before the first Test at Headingley, with attention now switching to six white-ball internationals against West Indies that start on Thursday and Harry Brook's first outing as the permanent limited-overs captain. If the first week of the Test summer is anything to go by, there is unlikely to be a shortage of talking points.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pope determined to prove he warrants England place and Stokes' defence
A Test match that began with England saying they wanted to be better at media interactions and show a touch more humility ended with the captain growling about his words being twisted. And they say a week is a long time in politics … It was my question that sparked all this, as it happens. The day before the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, I asked Ben Stokes about Jacob Bethell, the conversations that surrounded his absence to play in the Indian Premier League, and whether, as the 'incumbent No 3' who made such an impression in New Zealand, he would be 'straight back in' for the series against India. Advertisement Related: Shoaib Bashir grabs six Zimbabwe wickets as England win Test in three days That this referred to the playing XI felt implicit, and when Stokes talked up Bethell and told those present to put 'two and two together', so too did an instant return. But Stokes also went on to praise James Rew, the spare batter in Nottingham, and in his mind this made it perfectly clear he was referring to Bethell returning to the squad. Not that the word 'squad' was ever used. An honest mix-up, therefore, and not, as Stokes claimed after the victory, a deliberate misinterpretation designed to heap pressure on Ollie Pope. Besides, with England having played Bethell at No 3 for the entire New Zealand series, keeping Pope behind the stumps even after a spare wicketkeeper arrived on tour, debate around that position was pretty inevitable. Pope was a lot more chilled about all this come the end of the Trent Bridge Test, a slick 171 during England's 565 for six declared – and yet more cat-like reflexes at short leg – no doubt helping. While acknowledging a combined Test average of 22 against India and Australia, this year's big boss opponents, is slightly suboptimal, the vice-captain fancies he has come on a bit since. Advertisement 'I completely own that my numbers aren't good enough against those guys, and I accept that,' Pope said. 'But I think I am a better player. Hopefully over the next year I can prove that. I did that a little bit in India last year [a match-winning 196 in Hyderabad] but I look forward to doing it this summer and winter. 'It will be good to have [Bethell] back in the squad. The selectors can make their decision and I will try to score my runs.' It is very England these days that competition for a player with eight Test centuries should come from a player yet to score one in senior cricket. But in Bethell they see a talent who is arguably more suited to the international game, where batters are tested by higher pace and more regularly on the back foot than in the County Championship. Those three half-centuries in New Zealand, including a near-miss 96, gave a taste of his suitability. The difference between the two levels is also being shown by Shoaib Bashir, whose nine-wicket Test – even factoring in the quality of opposition – continued a divergence from his county numbers. In 14 outings for Somerset and his various loan sides, Bashir has taken 18 wickets at an average of 85. In 16 Tests the 21-year-old now has 58 wickets at 36 and takes one every 58 balls – a strike rate that is better than Graeme Swann (60.1) or Moeen Ali (61.8). Advertisement Not that anyone is claiming that Bashir has reached their level just yet. By his own admission, Bashir still takes time to settle into spells and his accuracy – something that will only be grooved by repetition – is a work in progress. But as Stokes noted after the win (words that could not be misinterpreted), Bashir is now beginning to challenge both sides of the right-hander's bat. 'We know that we've got a very special talent,' he said. Looking ahead to India, a greater uncertainty is the make-up of the seam attack (even if rotation will blur the pecking order); not just how Brydon Carse slots back into it after his breakout winter but whether Sam Cook can hold his spot as the new ball specialist given Chris Woakes's summer is now belatedly under way. Figures of one for 119 across 31 overs from Cook may have further cemented England's view of Test cricket being a very different beast to the Championship. It would be pretty harsh to judge Cook on the basis of one outing and a ground that is notoriously high-scoring. The surface at Trent Bridge, and the success of Bashir, also pointed to how dry the English season has been so far. As one reader pointed out below the line on Saturday, a continuation could make the Bazballers versus India's spinners the key battle. There is just under a month for all this to work itself out before the first Test at Headingley, with attention now switching to six white-ball internationals against West Indies that start on Thursday and Harry Brook's first outing as the permanent limited-overs captain. If the first week of the Test summer is anything to go by, there is unlikely to be a shortage of talking points.
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Pope determined to prove he warrants England place and Stokes' defence
A Test match that began with England saying they wanted to be better at media interactions and show a touch more humility ended with the captain growling about his words being twisted. And they say a week is a long time in politics … It was my question that sparked all this, as it happens. The day before the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, I asked Ben Stokes about Jacob Bethell, the conversations that surrounded his absence to play in the Indian Premier League, and whether, as the 'incumbent No 3' who made such an impression in New Zealand, he would be 'straight back in' for the series against India. That this referred to the playing XI felt implicit, and when Stokes talked up Bethell and told those present to put 'two and two together', so too did an instant return. But Stokes also went on to praise James Rew, the spare batter in Nottingham, and in his mind this made it perfectly clear he was referring to Bethell returning to the squad. Not that the word 'squad' was ever used. An honest mix-up, therefore, and not, as Stokes claimed after the victory, a deliberate misinterpretation designed to heap pressure on Ollie Pope. Besides, with England having played Bethell at No 3 for the entire New Zealand series, keeping Pope behind the stumps even after a spare wicketkeeper arrived on tour, debate around that position was pretty inevitable. Pope was a lot more chilled about all this come the end of the Trent Bridge Test, a slick 171 during England's 565 for six declared – and yet more cat-like reflexes at short leg – no doubt helping. While acknowledging a combined Test average of 22 against India and Australia, this year's big boss opponents, is slightly suboptimal, the vice-captain fancies he has come on a bit since. 'I completely own that my numbers aren't good enough against those guys, and I accept that,' Pope said. 'But I think I am a better player. Hopefully over the next year I can prove that. I did that a little bit in India last year [a match-winning 196 in Hyderabad] but I look forward to doing it this summer and winter. 'It will be good to have [Bethell] back in the squad. The selectors can make their decision and I will try to score my runs.' It is very England these days that competition for a player with eight Test centuries should come from a player yet to score one in senior cricket. But in Bethell they see a talent who is arguably more suited to the international game, where batters are tested by higher pace and more regularly on the back foot than in the County Championship. Those three half-centuries in New Zealand, including a near-miss 96, gave a taste of his suitability. The difference between the two levels is also being shown by Shoaib Bashir, whose nine-wicket Test – even factoring in the quality of opposition – continued a divergence from his county numbers. In 14 outings for Somerset and his various loan sides, Bashir has taken 18 wickets at an average of 85. In 16 Tests the 21-year-old now has 58 wickets at 36 and takes one every 58 balls – a strike rate that is better than Graeme Swann (60.1) or Moeen Ali (61.8). Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Not that anyone is claiming that Bashir has reached their level just yet. By his own admission, Bashir still takes time to settle into spells and his accuracy – something that will only be grooved by repetition – is a work in progress. But as Stokes noted after the win (words that could not be misinterpreted), Bashir is now beginning to challenge both sides of the right-hander's bat. 'We know that we've got a very special talent,' he said. Looking ahead to India, a greater uncertainty is the make-up of the seam attack (even if rotation will blur the pecking order); not just how Brydon Carse slots back into it after his breakout winter but whether Sam Cook can hold his spot as the new ball specialist given Chris Woakes's summer is now belatedly under way. Figures of one for 119 across 31 overs from Cook may have further cemented England's view of Test cricket being a very different beast to the Championship. It would be pretty harsh to judge Cook on the basis of one outing and a ground that is notoriously high-scoring. The surface at Trent Bridge, and the success of Bashir, also pointed to how dry the English season has been so far. As one reader pointed out below the line on Saturday, a continuation could make the Bazballers versus India's spinners the key battle. There is just under a month for all this to work itself out before the first Test at Headingley, with attention now switching to six white-ball internationals against West Indies that start on Thursday and Harry Brook's first outing as the permanent limited-overs captain. If the first week of the Test summer is anything to go by, there is unlikely to be a shortage of talking points.
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Surreal Scenes For Zimbabwe In England Underlines Importance Of Supporting Smaller Test Nations
Zimbabwe had many fans supporting them during the one-off Test against England (Photo by Matthew ...) Zimbabwe's cricketers soaked in the surreal scenes, lapping it up in front of their giddy supporters at Trent Bridge in the aftermath of the one-off Test against England. After finally getting a chance against a powerhouse nation in Test cricket, performing credibly to arrest early nerves, the wide grins from the players matched the expressions from their expat compatriots who had long doubted they would ever get so close to their heroes. The result hardly mattered. For the record, Zimbabwe lost by an innings and 45 runs in the four-day Test against an England team tuning up for a blockbuster, legacy-defining stretch of Test cricket. It was a resumption of bilateral ties between the countries after 21 years and the first Test they've played against each other since 2003. This drought-breaking match had been a decade in the making. While Zimbabwe have played powers India and Australia in white-ball series, they have been given the cold shoulder by them in Test cricket for two decades. While they were outclassed, unsurprisingly given their lack of experience in Test cricket, Zimbabwe worked their way into the match after conceding the most runs on the first day of a Test in England having unwisely opted to bowl. But Zimbabwe showed plenty of resiliency after that and class too with Brian Bennett smashing his country's fastest Test hundred, while Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza - both almost 40 years old who were playing a Test for the first time against a 'big three' nation - showed plenty of fight. Brian Bennett celebrated his century against England (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty ... More Images) Zimbabwe weren't able to seriously threaten England, but they won admirers and showed glimpses of what they are capable of. That's if they can get a good run of Test cricket and start regularly playing the best nations. For a myriad of reasons, from internal woes to political chaos amid dictator Robert Mugabe's reign to reluctance from the bigger nations to play them, Zimbabwe only played 36 Tests from late 2005 - their last against India - to the end of 2024. Zimbabwe are not in the nine-team World Test Championship and have had to mostly resort to playing Afghanistan and Ireland - the other countries not part of the tournament. But Zimbabwe are playing 11 this year - the equal most alongside Australia - to underline their determination of being a good Test nation. However, there are no Test fixtures against England, Australia or India on the horizon. Zimbabwe fans came out in large numbers to support their team (Photo by) It's challenging for Zimbabwe and other smaller nations to host Test cricket. According to Zimbabwe Cricket, it costs $500,000 to host a match - large sums for a nation with a miniscule domestic broadcast deal of $2.5 million per year compared to billion-dollar deals of England, India and Australia. Zimbabwe and other smaller nations also get less funding from the International Cricket Council compared to the power trio. England's governing body might have provided the blueprint after helping provide some tour costs for Zimbabwe, whose administrators have been using this Test match to discuss possible opportunities to host them in the next cycle of 2027-31. Zimbabwe, having become a major destination for cricket, do have plans to entice the power countries. They hope to become a stopover when those countries visit nearby South Africa although no fixtures have been ironed out yet. There have long been fears over the traditional five-day Test cricket and its relevance in a faster-paced modern world, where attention spans are dwindling. There is an ICC committee in the works with a strong focus over this thorny issue, especially with the 'big three' increasingly wanting to play against themselves. But as gleaned at Trent Bridge amid the color and emotion emanating from the terraces, Test cricket needs smaller nations to flourish and emerge beyond India, England and Australia. After two decades in the wilderness, Zimbabwe finally made a step onto the big stage. Let's hope it's not their last.
