Shoaib Bashir defies injury to claim final wicket in dramatic England win

South Wales Guardian

a day ago

On July 14, 2019, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer were both involved in a famous super over success over New Zealand and one of English cricket's red letter days delivered again as the pair took England within sight of victory.
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.