Latest news with #Victory
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Unbelievable': Cruel moment decides Test thriller between England and India
A thrilling series produced a gripping finale as England beat India by 22 runs in a nailbiting third Test at Lord's on Monday to go 2-1 up with two Tests to play. India were on the brink of defeat at 9-147, still needing a further 46 runs to reach a victory target of 193, when last man Mohammed Siraj joined Ravindra Jadeja in the middle. Nevertheless, the pair batted on until after tea on the final day to give India hope of an improbable victory. But with India eyeing a stunning success, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had been off the field for much of the match with a finger injury, had the final say. As Siraj played defensively, the ball spun back past him to dislodge the leg bail with the faintest of touches to leave India 170 all out. Watch the cruel moment unfold in the video player above As the England fielders celebrated, the fiery Siraj was crestfallen as was his partner Jadeja who was left stranded on 61 not out - his fourth consecutive fifty this series - after batting for nearly four-and-a-half hours. The unbelievable scenes left the cricket world in disbelief with those watching on applauding both sides for the display over the full five days. England's Barmy Army wrote on X: 'All banter aside, that was an incredible Test match between two brilliant teams. Commiserations to India, who more than played their part in a remarkable five days of cricket.' Former Indian cricket Wasim Jaffer wrote: 'Heartbreaking finish but proud of the fight. Take a bow @imjadeja, what determination, what patience. What a Test match we've had. Congratulations @benstokes38 lion hearted effort from him with the ball.' Commentator Aatif Nawaz wrote: 'This test had everything. Evenly matched teams going hard each other all the way. It was emotional. It was engrossing. It was 5 glorious days of cricket between two fiercely aggressive and determined only separated by 22 runs. What. A. Test Match.' England captain Ben Stokes bowled two lengthy spells Monday on his way to innings figures of 3-48 in 24 overs, with fast bowler Jofra Archer - in his first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile - taking 3-55 in 16. Lively medium-pacer Stokes, whose career has been blighted by knee injuries, again proved his worth to England as a fully-fledged all-rounder. 'I thought I had taken myself to some pretty dark places before but today was … If bowling to win a Test for your country doesn't get you up, get you excited, then I don't know what does,' Stokes told Sky Sports. 'The game was on the line and nothing was going to stop me bowling.' Victory came exactly six years to the day since Stokes and Archer both starred in England's dramatic 2019 50-over World Cup final win over New Zealand at Lord's. Both bowlers made early breakthroughs, with player-of-the match Stokes saying the anniversary was behind his decision to open the bowling with Archer. 'Jof played a big role in that and I just had one of those feelings he would do something special,' said Stokes. The 30-year-old Archer added: 'It was pretty hectic for the first game back. I probably bowled a few more overs than I thought I would have but every single one mattered today so I'm not too fussed about it.' India were all but beaten at 8-112 when tailender Jasprit Bumrah came out to bat immediately after lunch. But Jadeja and Bumrah kept England at bay with a stubborn stand of 35 in 22 overs. 'I think the position in the morning, to make a comeback like this was tremendous from Ravindra Jadeja and the lower order,' said India captain Shubman Gill. Bumrah, defying a run of four successive noughts in Test cricket, defended gamely while making five in 54 balls only for his innings to end when he top-edged a pull off Stokes to substitute fielder Sam Cook at mid-on. India were now 147-9 — a position that meant tea was delayed by 30 minutes. But Jadeja, who overturned an lbw decision given against him on 26, went to fifty when a flashing cut off Stokes flew over the slips for the left-hander's fourth four in 150 balls faced. Shortly after tea, Archer struck Siraj a painful blow on the shoulder and it was not long before he fell to Bashir. This match became a second-innings shootout after both teams made 387 in their first innings. England then posted 192 before India slumped to 58-4 when Stokes bowled nightwatchman Akash Deep with what became the last ball of Sunday's play. From 71-4 on Monday, the match swung England's way once more as India lost three wickets for 11 runs in collapsing to 82-7. Rishabh Pant - who only came into bat on Monday following Deep's departure - charged down the pitch to drive Archer for a typically aggressive four. But two balls later Archer, repeatedly topping the 144kmh mark, bowled the danger man for nine with a superb full-length delivery that clipped the top of off stump. India were looking to KL Rahul to anchor their chase after the opener's first-innings hundred. But he had added just six runs to his overnight 33 when he was lbw on review to Stokes. Archer, who made his Test debut at Lord's in 2019, then reduced India to 82-7 when he held a sharp one-handed caught and bowled chance to dismiss Washington Sundar for a duck.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jofra Archer reacts to dramatic England comeback
Jofra Archer made a successful return to Test cricket for England, playing a key role in their 22-run victory over India at Lord's. His appearance marked the end of a four-and-a-half-year wait to resume his international red-ball career, following significant fitness setbacks. Archer took five wickets, including Yashasvi Jaiswal with his third ball, and consistently bowled at speeds over 90mph. He expressed emotional relief and hit back at 'keyboard warriors' who doubted him, stating the long journey and rehabilitation made the moment worthwhile. Despite his strong comeback, Archer acknowledged a cautious approach to his return, noting he still has 'overs marked out until December' but views this as a good start.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England vs India - PLAYER RATINGS: Who was immense, who looked all at sea and who fell short of the billing?
England moved 2-1 up in the five-match Test series against India after sealing victory by 22 runs on a tense final day at Lord's. Defending just 192, the hosts bowled out the visitors for 170 after tea on the fifth day - with injured spinner Shoaib Bashir claiming the final wicket. Ahead of the series moving on to Old Trafford in Manchester next week, Mail Sport's LAWRENCE BOOTH rates Ben Stokes and his men... Zak Crawley - 4 Got a beauty from Nitish Kumar Reddy in the first innings, but gifted him his wicket in the second. Time-wasting antics were shameless. Ben Duckett - 3 Two tame dismissals as he over-attacked against the bowlers at the other end from Bumrah. Has endured two quiet Tests since his Headingley heroics. Ollie Pope - 5.5 Ground out 44 in the first innings after being dropped first ball, but looked all at sea in the second. How much more rope will England give him? Joe Root - 8 Rescued England's first innings with his 37th Test hundred, and top-scored in the second with 40. Now Test cricket's leading fielder too. Harry Brook - 3 Entered the game as Test cricket's top-ranked batsman, but fell short of the billing. Loses a point for a dreadful hack just before lunch on the fourth day. Ben Stokes - 9 Immense. Six wickets, socres of 44 and 33, plus the crucial run-out of Pant. Led from the front like the giant he is. Jamie Smith - 7 Another composed half-century in the first innings, then got a good one in the second from Sundar. Harry Brook's dreadful hack before lunch on day four put England in a spot of bother Chris Woakes - 6.5 Looked tired at times, but removed Gill in the first innings, and took the crucial wicket of Reddy just before lunch on the last day. Brydon Carse - 7.5 His half-century from No 9 turned a moderate 271 for seven into a challenging 387, and his two wickets on the fourth evening gave England hope. Jofra Archer - 8 Electric on comeback: all five of his wickets were left-handers, and he took care of the dangerous Jaiswal twice. Shoaib Bashir - 6 Took the big wicket of Rahul in India's first innings, and bravely played a part on the last day, despite a serious finger injury, bowling last man Siraj.
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Three things we learned from the third England-India Test
Victory left England 2-1 up in a five-match series that is fast becoming a modern-day classic. Below AFP Sport looks at three key aspects from a gripping encounter in London: Archer shows England what they have been missing Many observers wondered if Jofra Archer would still be the same bowler who made such a thrilling start to his international career as the express quick prepared to end more than four years of injury-induced exile from Test cricket at Lord's. But a match haul of 5-107 was a reminder of his quality. More than his wickets, the fact the now 30-year-old fast bowler repeatedly topped speeds of 90 mph while maintaining his accuracy was a hugely encouraging sight for England, who would dearly love Archer to be the spearhead of their attack when they look to regain the Ashes in Australia later this year. Given his injury history, how Archer recovers from his efforts at Lord's will be key to his progress and it remains to be seen if he will be fit enough to feature in next week's fourth Test at Old Trafford. But there was no denying the impact he made at Lord's on the sixth anniversary of Archer bowling the Super Over that secured England's 2019 50-over World Cup final win over New Zealand. "Every time he gets announced on the tannoy that he's going to bowl, you just hear the ground erupt and when he turns it on, the feeling in the game just changes," said England captain Ben Stokes. "What an amazing effort from him to get through those overs. He got some crucial wickets for us and it's great to have him back." Milestone madness contributes to India's undoing KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were threatening to give India a substantial first-innings lead while compiling a superb partnership of 141. But with Rahul 98 not out approaching lunch on the third day, Pant ran himself out in what appeared to be an attempt to get his partner back on strike so he could reach his century before the interval. It was a brilliant piece of work by Stokes to remove Pant with a direct hit that ended the batsman's typically sparkling 74, but it was hard to imagine he would have risked a single had Rahul been further away from a hundred. As it was, experienced opener Rahul duly completed his second century in a Test at Lord's to secure another coveted place on the dressing room honours board. But India ended up only matching, not surpassing, England's first-innings 387 following a needlessly self-inflicted wound. Tempers flare A match marked by mutual accusations of time-wasting eventually saw India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj fined 15 percent of his match fee for his send-off to Ben Duckett after he dismissed the England opener on Sunday. Siraj was sanctioned for celebrating excessively at close proximity to Duckett after breaching a section of the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct relating to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an international match". Flashpoints are always a possibility given the sheer length of time involved in a Test-match day and this has generally been a good-natured series. But Nasser Hussain had no qualms about Siraj's behaviour, with the former England captain telling Sky Sports: "He is someone who you love to have in your team. "Because when Indian fans are desperate for their cricketers to show some passion and fight, no one does that better than Mohammed Siraj."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England captain Ben Stokes 'looking forward to lying in bed for four days' after bowling 44 overs during dramatic Lord's victory over India
Ben Stokes admitted that he is 'looking forward to lying in bed for four days' after inspiring England to a stunning 22-run victory over India at a packed Lord's. 'I'm pretty cooked,' said Stokes, who bowled 44 overs across the Test match including two monumental spells on the final day and was named Player of the Match. 'It was a big day with the game on the line. Bowling to win a Test match for your country on day five. If that doesn't get you going and putting in for your team, I don't know what will,' the England captain added. After a spell of 9.2 overs in the morning where he removed KL Rahul, Stokes bowled another 10 overs before tea where he broke the resistance of Jasprit Bumrah, who put on 35 for the ninth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja in a partnership that lasted 22 overs. It was left for Shoaib Bashir to take the last wicket with his final act of the series as he got Mohammed Siraj to defend the ball into the ground and back on to his stumps to cue wild celebrations, with Jadeja stranded on 61 off 181 balls at the other end. Bashir will miss the rest of the series after sustaining a fractured finger on Saturday and spent most of the final day off the field until he was required to bowl. England will name their squad for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in the coming days. 'For him (Bashir) to finish that game off was written in the stars. Every time I looked round to the bench, I just saw Bash's little head peeking through, ready to go,' said Stokes, who praised the character of the 21-year-old. 'It's not good news and it's very disappointing. It's a big shame but he showed courage to go out there and bat at the end for us (in the second innings). And the willingness to sit on the bench and wait for his moment to come and bowl just proves how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on that not even a couple of breaks will stop you. What an amazing feeling for him,' Stokes added. And six years to the day when England won the World Cup at Lord's, Stokes admitted that he summoned the spirit of 2019 when he opened the bowling alongside Jofra Archer in the morning. Archer got rid of Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar to put England in the driving seat in his first Test since 2021. 'We knew that (it was exactly six years) turning up in the morning and that was genuinely the reason why we went with me and Jof,' Stokes revealed. 'It felt right in my tummy that Jof was going to do something to break the game open.' The India captain Shubman Gill said he was 'extremely proud' of his side but refused to reveal whether Jasprit Bumrah would play a part in Manchester, with the series on the line. Bumrah said before the series that he would only be fit to play three Tests and the fast bowler has already played two – both of which India have lost.
