Ben Stokes cheers Jofra Archer's ‘amazing effort' as England edge out India
It was Archer's first Test after a four-and-a-half-year absence and Stokes went with a hunch to hand him the ball first thing when India resumed on 58 for four chasing 193 on the final day.
Test Cricket. Wow. 😍 pic.twitter.com/XGDWM1xR2H
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025
Archer claimed the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant, knocking his off-stump out of the ground, then took a terrific catch off his own bowling to see off Washington Sundar and put England on top.
The hosts had a few nervy moments before moving 2-1 up in the series, with two to play, but Stokes admitted Archer's involvement went a long way to swinging things in their favour.
'I just had this gut feeling that something was going to happen in Jof's first time back in the Test match team, sometimes your gut works, I guess,' England captain Stokes said at the presentation ceremony.
'It's six years to the day (since the 2019 World Cup final) and Jof had a major part in that. I just had one of those feelings that he was going to do something special and he managed to crack the game open with those two wickets.
'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. 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.'
77 runs with the bat 🏏44-8-111-5 with the ball 🔴Player of the Match 🏅
Shift. pic.twitter.com/o2tn5Pp9eD
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025
Stokes admitted he was a 'shadow' of his normal self following a hard five days at Headingley but he went up a notch at the home of cricket.
He followed up a nine-over spell in the morning session, in which he ended the dogged resistance of KL Rahul, with a 10-over burst after lunch, making the only breakthrough in the session by winkling out the resolute Jasprit Bumrah.
'I thought I'd taken myself to some pretty dark places before but today was…but look, bowling to win a Test match for your country, if that doesn't get you up, I don't know what does,' Stokes said.
Stokes, whose 77 runs and five wickets across the Test as well as the crucial first-innings run out of Pant saw him receive the player of the match award, added: 'I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to just lie on my bed for four days and then be raring to go for (next week's fourth Test at) Manchester.'
India captain Shubman Gill was optimistic the tourists would get over the line and in Ravindra Jadeja, who made 61 not out off 181 balls, they had hope but he ran out of partners.
'There was plenty of batting left in our side so I was pretty confident this morning but England kept attacking,' Gill said. 'They played better than us.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
13 minutes ago
- Metro
Ben Stokes the leading man in classic Test series
What a match, and what irony that it should be settled England's way by a No.11 defending an off-break like an opening batter – soft hands and with the middle of the bat. But that's great Test cricket, unsurpassable drama decided as often by the innocuous moment as the grand gesture. All of India, and there would have been at least a billion watching on TV, would have kicked out a foot as the ball rolled towards the stumps; Mohammed Siraj's back foot defensive shot having carefully ridden the extra bounce from Shoaib Bashir's loopy off-break. Just the slightest deflection, with anything but hand, would have kept the red Dukes ball from nudging leg-stump and dislodging the bail – and kept India in a contest that went beyond thrilling as it moved into the final session of the final day. But Siraj seemed rooted to the spot, mesmerised by the moment that seconds later would give England a 2-1 lead in a five-match series India have dominated most of the time. Bashir, who came on to bowl from the sick bay, after breaking a finger on his left hand, was rightly lauded by his captain, Ben Stokes, for his courageous role. But it was Stokes, mining deep into his body and mind, who found the golden nuggets needed to get England over the line in this nip-and-tuck Test – a captain's effort from the trenches rather than the observation tower. There were ghosts to help him with the digging. Six years previously, to the day and on the same ground, Stokes had dragged England, this time with bat, to the super over bowled by Jofra Archer in the World Cup final against New Zealand. England then won by the barest of margins – something they did against India on Monday, 22 runs being close for a five-day Test which has run its course. Stokes was simply immense. Whether exhorting his bowlers from mid-off or with ball in hand himself, he radiated a massive positive energy, like a brilliant sun. His two spells were a sapping ten overs each and he later admitted he had to go to dark places to produce them. Injuries have restricted his bowling in recent times although he wrenched a win from nowhere against South Africa in Cape Town five years ago, but that was done with chutzpah and skilful reverse-swing. He had no such allies here, only adversaries – the tenacious Ravindra Jadeja with bat and a sluggish pitch only occasionally offering succour. But Stokes bashed away with energy-sapping hit-the-deck pace, body screeching, searching for vagaries in bounce now diminishing as the ball got softer. He believed and his team believed in him. His three for 48 included the prize wicket of KL Rahul, whom he pinned lbw, but only after a TV umpire review found in his favour. After a quiet year or so performance-wise, Stokes' all-round efforts at Lord's (77 runs and five wickets in the match), plus the impressive marshalling of his players, deservedly won him the man of the match. Also, he showed his team, and possibly himself, that they don't have to chase to win and that they can bat first and prevail – though he probably won't become too wedded to the idea if he has to keep bowling the most overs. One decision Stokes got right on day five was to open with Archer from the Pavilion End. Would that decision have been made if Stokes hadn't dismissed Akash Deep just before the close of day four, which left him with two balls to bowl from the Nursery End when play resumed on the final morning? Whatever the process, Archer got the Pav End and promptly detonated Rishabh Pant's off-stump. Soon after, he caught and bowled the capable Washington Sundar for nought, his one-handed pouch a remarkable bit of athleticism. Perhaps more importantly looking forward, Archer suddenly looked the complete fast bowler – hackles up and with a carnivore's scent for blood – rather than someone who just bowls fast. Whereas previously his default body language has been somewhat hang-dog, here he was following through to within smelling distance of the batter, dander up and eyeballs popping. Whether this came from the occasion, his captain's chivvying or the animus now developing between the teams, there needs to be more of it. His time with England has become precious and every spell must count. All through these dramas Jadeja, India's veteran all-rounder and a man forged by crises, was playing the long game. From deep experience he knows Test cricket is a team effort, which means trusting others. He could try to be Superman and do it in a whirl of audacity or he could get India close by minimising risk at least until all other options had been exhausted. This is not Bazball's way – its gung-ho rashness may have prevailed chasing the 193 India needed or it may have gone down in flames. Jadeja played the percentages, his unbeaten 61, from a mammoth 181 balls, cruelly coming up short. But that can happen when there are variables in the mix like team-mates and opponents. More Trending Old Trafford is next in a week's time and while I never thought I'd see another Test series as dramatic as the 2005 Ashes, this is boiling up into a heady melodrama that may well push it close if both teams can maintain the quality and tempo. Bashir's broken finger has ended his series and he has been replaced by Liam Dawson. A left-arm spinner from Hampshire, Dawson is feisty and can bat, two attributes he will need as the spice levels rise between the teams. By the way, that bounce from Bashir which forced the error from Siraj, produced by overspin and sharp dip, is what England want in Australia this winter, which is why they continue to persist with the tall off-spinner despite modest returns. But injuries open doors for others and Dawson has a chance to catch the eye and help win a series that will be considered a classic whatever happens from here. MORE: England can savour Swede taste of success after hitting top form at Euro 2025 MORE: Owner of rescue dog 'couldn't even stroke her' before using this pet food brand – now with 40% off first box MORE: Back Rory McIlroy to make the most of second chance to win The Open at Royal Portrush
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Former captain Moore backs Bell to be Wallabies skipper
Former Australia captain Stephen Moore would select prop Angus Bell to skipper the Wallabies against the British and Irish head coach Joe Schmidt is yet to name his series captain, with the first Test kicking off on Saturday in Brisbane (11:00 BST).Number eight Harry Wilson, who scored a late try to defeat Fiji in the Wallabies' only warm-up game, is the favourite to skipper the side after performing the role in that win and against England, Scotland and Ireland in November."We need our players that are world class, Angus Bell is a good example. I would have had him as captain if it was up to me," Moore told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly."Captaincy is an area they have ummed and ahhed about over the last couple of years."I don't know if it will be Harry Wilson, I think so, as he was captain against Fiji and they haven't named the captain."Squad members James Slipper, Will Skelton and David Porecki, who only this year has got over his injury troubles that kept him out since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, have all captained Australia in the past two said Wilson is "one of the players at the forefront" of his thinking when it comes to a Test captain, but added he wanted to ensure his skipper was fully Rob Valetini missed the game against Fiji through injury and Moore believes his selection in the back row might be a problem for Wilson."Joe would have preferred to do that right [naming the captain], but that it is not his story to keep chopping and changing. He is finding out the best way to win," added Moore, who played in all three Tests against the Lions in 2013."Is Harry in that team? If Rob Valetini plays then are they in that team together? Do they need a jumping back rower?"There are bunch of options that they have got and they are just not clear on the right one is. That is why we are seeing that hesitation." Wallabies lack 'world-class 10' Following the win over Fiji, the Wallabies' first-choice fly-half Noah Lolesio was ruled out of the series through injury means 22-year-old Tom Lynagh, son of 1991 World Cup-winning number 10 Michael, is reportedly set, external to start his first Test on back James O'Connor, 35, and 17-cap Ben Donaldson are Schmidt's other options in the position.O'Connor started all three Tests against the Lions in 2013 but has not played international rugby in almost three believes number 10 remains a "gap" in the national team."Since Stephen Larkham retired in 2007, we haven't had an out-and-out world-class 10 for a period of time like the other great nations have had," the former hooker added."It is a big position and we are going into a series with some younger players being tried and tested on a very big stage."Joe will make sure that their job is kept as simple as possible so they know exactly what they need to do under pressure and they can go out and execute it."
North Wales Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Liam Dawson handed England Test recall after Shoaib Bashir is ruled out
Dawson made the last of his three Test appearances in 2017 but Bashir's predicament has paved the way for a comeback he had all but given up on. Bashir took the match-winning wicket in a tense finish at Lord's on Monday evening, having already broken the little finger on his left hand, and is set for surgery in the coming days. England have run through a host of different spinning options since Dawson last held the shirt, with the tally hitting double figures once all-rounders are included, but his consistently impressive performances have persuaded the selectors to draft him in for the fourth Rothesay Test. Welcome, Daws! 👋 Spinner Liam Dawson joins our squad for the Fourth Test match against India 🏏 Full story 👇 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 15, 2025 Dawson got the nod ahead of fellow left-armer Jack Leach, despite the latter being centrally contracted and racking up 39 caps since 2018. He is now in line for a dream Ashes tour this winter, with Leach facing an uncertain future. 'Liam Dawson deserves his call-up. He has been in outstanding form in the County Championship and consistently puts in strong performances for Hampshire,' said selector Luke Wright. Dawson offers a compelling all-round package, with 18 first-class centuries to his name and a solid reputation as a fielder. He returned to the England fold for the first time under Brendon McCullum earlier this summer, taking four for 20 in his T20 comeback match at Durham. Speaking after that game, he admitted: 'I had got to an age where I probably thought international cricket was gone.' England have released seamers Jamie Overton and Sam Cook to play in the County Championship for Surrey and Essex respectively, with Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson retained as additional pace options in a 14-man squad. Chris Woakes could be rested in Manchester after struggling to find his best form this summer but one player who has no intention of sitting out is Jofra Archer. He played a key role in the thrilling 22-run win at the home of cricket, his first match back after a four-and-a-half-year injury absence. Archer routinely cleared the 90mph mark, struck with his third ball of the match and took two vital wickets on the final morning. England have carefully managed his return to action following previous setbacks but now that he has the taste for it, Archer wants to make up for lost time. Asked if he was ready to go again in the fourth Test after getting through just under 40 overs at Lord's, he said: 'I can play the other two if they let me. 'I don't want to lose this series. I told Keysy (ECB managing director Rob Key) that I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes. 'I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November, or just before. Archer's consistent ability to summon express speeds was a slight surprise given the sharp uptick in workloads compared to the white-ball arena, but he was desperate to give everything to the cause. 'I think everybody put their body on the line, so it'd be a bit bad if I didn't as well,' he said. 'Most of the last day is a blur. It's nice to bowl fast but getting wickets is the most important thing.'
