Ben Stokes praised Shoaib Bashir’s bravery after England’s young spinner claimed the match-winning wicket in a thriller against India, despite suffering from a broken finger that rules him out of the remainder of the Test series.
Bashir broke the little finger on his left hand while attempting a caught-and-bowled on day three of the third Rothesay Test and has already been booked in for surgery in the coming days.
But he showed serious fortitude to bat against the 90mph pace of Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday evening and played a brief but decisive role with the ball in an impossibly tense fifth-day finish.
Test Cricket.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025
Wow.
pic.twitter.com/XGDWM1xR2H
With India creeping towards the finish line on 170 for nine chasing 193 in the final session, he bowled last man Mohammed Siraj via a back-spinning ricochet off the face of the bat.
Having spent the majority of the last two days watching the game unfold with England’s coaching staff, it was a remarkable way for a captivating contest to conclude, securing a 22-run win and a 2-1 lead for the hosts.
“It was great that Bash was able to get that last wicket with everything he had to deal with this week,” said Stokes, who must find a new spinner for the last two Tests.
Same day. Six years apart. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer delivered for England once again at Lord's #WTC27 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/WsPF7hVWkp
— ICC (@ICC) July 14, 2025
“He’s 21 years old and he’s got a very badly broken finger. To go out there and bat for us and to be willing to sit there on the bench, waiting for his moment to come on and bowl, I think just proves how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on.
“Not even a couple of breaks is going stop anyone getting out there. To finish that game off was written in the stars. It’s not good news for Bash, it’s very disappointing for us as a team and for him, but I think the courage that he showed (was outstanding).”
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