Stokes and Bennett shine before Zimbabwe follow on
Ben Stokes hinted at a return to his best and Brian Bennett struck a sparkling century before England made Zimbabwe follow on on the second day of the one-off Test at Trent Bridge.England captain Stokes, playing for the first time since having surgery on his hamstring, took 2-11 in a captivating spell of only 3.2 overs.Opener Bennett delighted the dancing visiting fans in Nottingham with Zimbabwe's fastest Test hundred, from 97 balls. His 139 was the backbone of the tourists' 265 all out.Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir claimed 3-62 while Josh Tongue, in his first Test for two years, and Sam Cook, on debut, took a wicket each.Holding a monstrous lead of 300 in the four-day Test and with Saturday's forecast looking mixed, England asked Zimbabwe to bat again, bowling for the second time to get 10 overs in before the close.Bennett could not repeat his heroics, trapped leg before by Gus Atkinson, while Craig Ervine lobbed Tongue to short leg to leave Zimbabwe 30-2, still 270 behind.England earlier declared on 565-6, pushing on from their overnight 498-3.Ollie Pope added only two more on Friday morning before edging behind for 171, while Harry Brook made a 48-ball half-century, despite having only nine runs from 27 deliveries.Brook whipped three sixes into the leg side before being bowled to give Blessing Muzarabani a third wicket, at which point Stokes called his team in.
Stokes and Bennett light up Trent Bridge
England's gluttonous run-scoring on the opening day verged on tedium because of its one-sided nature.Although the hosts' grip on the contest is just as tight at the end of the second day, Friday at least had elements of back-and-forth, some captivating cricket and an energetic atmosphere brought by the Zimbabwe supporters.Brook blazed away in the first hour and his mantle was picked up by Bennett, the 21-year-old who had not been born the last time these two sides played a Test against each other. His joyful celebration on reaching three figures was a wonderful moment.Like the home batters before him, Bennett's strokeplay showed the placid nature of the surface and there were times when England's bowlers were made to work.After six months out, the sight of Stokes marking out his run sent a frisson of excitement around Trent Bridge. The captain did not disappoint, serving up 20 exhilarating deliveries that suggested he is back to full fitness and ready for the challenges of India and Australia that lie ahead.If England decided to bat again it would have produced a dismal spectacle. Instead they already have two bonus wickets and can return refreshed on Saturday to push for victory with a day to spare.
Stokes headlines England workout
With 13 previous caps between them, Atkinson, Tongue and Cook form the most inexperienced specialist pace trio England have fielded in a home Test since Zimbabwe were last here in 2003. Still, that discounts Stokes, with more than 200 wickets to his name.Whether or not the captain was intending to bowl, when he did he was England's best on show. With a spring in his approach, his pace was lively and Stokes extracted more movement than the other England pacers.Cook often lost his line but at least had Ben Curran prod at one that nipped and bounced. Atkinson looked down on bite until he claimed two late wickets, while Tongue impressed in a fiery first spell and later bounced out Bennett.Stokes seemed determined to give Bashir a long bowl. His three wickets were more than the two he previously managed this season. Bashir was four balls into the 13th over of a spell when he cut his finger trying to take a return catch, meaning Stokes had to summon himself.His first delivery was a no-ball, his second took Bennett's edge and was dropped by Joe Root at first slip. In the next over, Stokes had Sikandar Raza fend behind and, in the next, Wesley Madhevere chopped on.Stokes did not bowl after tea. He had already shown enough.
Life of Brian
After a demoralising day-and-a-bit with the ball, Zimbabwe could have imploded with the bat. That they battled was almost entirely down to Bennett, the swashbuckling opener who scored his maiden Test century against Afghanistan in a Boxing Day Test last year.He had some fortune. Twice he edged Cook at catching height past the slips and also inside-edged past his own stumps. There was the Root drop off Stokes and, later, he fended Tongue to the swooping Pope at short leg off a no-ball.But Bennett was also rewarded for the conviction of his shot-making. There were some occasional T20 hacks, though they were outshone by some dreamy on-drives. Bennett added 65 with captain Ervine, who made 42, while Sean Williams and Tafadzwa Tsiga were the only others to pass 20.When he reached three figures with a cut off Atkinson, he became the third Zimbabwean to make a Test hundred against England and first since Murray Goodwin 25 years ago.Bennett eventually fended to Pope off a legal Tongue short ball, signalling the fall of the final four wickets for 19 runs. The injured Richard Ngarava did not bat.Pushed out to bat again, Bennett was pinned by Atkinson's nip-backer. In a shrewd move from Stokes, Pope had only just been posted at short leg when Ervine obliged with the simplest of catches.
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