Ben Stokes takes a wicket with his first ball in 251 days and bowls Rohit Sharma with beauty.Stephen Finn is a hopeful sign that Stokes could play a full role with the ball for England in the future, even as Sir Alastair Cook questions whether his bowling is affecting his captain’s batting form. say you can see
Friday 8 March 2024, UK, 14:47
The script couldn’t have been written any better.
Ben Stokes takes wicket after giving birth after 251 days. It was his first time since undergoing knee surgery in November, and his first time since making a “pinkie promise” to his doctor that he would not bowl in India.
And it wasn’t a meek dismissal, nor was it given to him, but with a brilliant ball that edged India captain Rohit Sharma and took the stumps, setting social media ablaze.
England assistant coach Jeetan Patel said: “It was almost written in the stars that he would bowl Jafa first. Magic, right? We’re very happy to have him back.”
Stokes’ breakthrough was key for England, narrowing the 171-run gap between Rohit and fellow centurion Shubman Gill, with the captain stepping up again when the team really needs him.
That has often happened with the bat, at Headingley, Lord’s and the MCG, but he also has a great history with the ball, including bowling England to victory over South Africa in Cape Town in 2020.
The 2019 Ashes Test at Leeds, best remembered for Stokes’ 135, saw Jofra Archer bowl an unchanged 15 overs early in the match after suffering cramps.
He also picked up what appeared to be the crucial wicket of Usman Khawaja on the final day of last year’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston, before Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon led Australia to a thrilling victory. picked up.
And when that magical production in Dharamsala completely baffled Rohit, it was what England had missed in the first four Tests, even though India came out on top in the tourists’ game. It showed that an inexperienced spin attack could have broken the partnership.
Patel added: “We all know how he rounds out the attack, especially in a situation like this, where you usually have two spinners, two seamers and the third one to Stokesey. “We have to be careful not to let that happen,” he added. Don’t push him too hard, it’s still early days. ”
“Stokes still looks like the same bowler after knee surgery”
Stokes with the ball makes England better not just because of the wickets he can take (he currently has 198 in Tests and 6,314 runs), but also because of the wickets he can take. It’s also because of the lift he gives to his teammates and supporters.
His presence as a fully-fledged all-rounder will make it much easier for England to balance the team, and according to former teammate Stephen Finn, early indications are that Stokes will be able to help advance the ball forward. He promises that he can play an important role.
look for habits TNT Sports Stokes, after posting figures of 1-17 from five overs, said: “The hot topic in the preparation for the series is that Ben is not allowed to bowl and has been told by his doctor and physiotherapist that Ben is not allowed to bowl. That’s just what I was told.
“But I’ve been playing with Ben a lot, and you know, what goes into his ears isn’t necessarily [listened to]. Rumors have been growing that he might get his hands on the ball, and that moment has arrived.
“I had three knee surgeries and after the first one, it was really tough to come back and be the exact same bowler.
“You lose your bite, you lose your zip, you lose your ability to create a shoulder whip that fully supports your front legs and gives you the zip that sets you apart from those who play domestic cricket.
“Ben has the ability to take extra bite off the surface and the first ball he bowled had that bite.
“Sometimes my knee gives way or I bowl from the crease, but that knee never gave way. That was a great sign for me, not just for today, but for Ben and England fans in the future. , because he’s a huge factor in this team.
“You would worry about whether someone could be the same bowler again after knee surgery, but there is evidence that it is possible.”
Isn’t the bowling having a negative impact on Stokes’ batting?
Stokes has been playing as a specialist batsman against India, but things have not gone well for him, averaging just 21.88 through nine innings and struggling to compete with left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook said: TNT Sports: “Stokes has always been involved in the game.
“Even before he became captain, he always wanted to field first to slip and spin, defend at stupid points and chase everything. He said all he could do was bat. I think I found this series very frustrating in some ways.”
“When you’re used to being involved in everything, you go out to bat and you realize, ‘God, I have to make an impact here.’ That brings a different kind of pressure.
“If you talk to guys like Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler, sometimes they keep and sometimes they don’t, but they have two chances to influence the game so they’re very good at batting and keeping. I like it.
“It would be interesting to see if Stokes did that.” [felt like that] Because his numbers in this series weren’t what we expected. ”
Stokes may need to improve on those numbers with the bat and summon something special with the ball if England are to win the final Test. India scored 473-8 at stumps on the second day, scoring 255 after the visiting team collapsed from 175. On the first day, the score was 218 for 3 all out.
Spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley improved as the second day progressed, especially despite Bashir’s four wicket haul (it would have been five had Stokes not missed a chance at slip late on). England are in a predicament. Sloppy fielding in Friday’s game didn’t help the cause.
But for Stokes, returning to all-rounder duties is a big boost for his future ahead of this summer’s Tests at home to Sri Lanka and the West Indies, and possibly the next Ashes tour in 2025-26. Dew.
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