By standards of their most entertaining team in decades, this was one of the more humdrum of stunning victories
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Truth is I’ve thought the same way myself. India scored five centuries, their fielders dropped six catches, and missed two other opportunities besides. Their best bowler took an important wicket off what turned out to be a no-ball; Chris Woakes, the man leading England’s attack managed one wicket in the match; Josh Tongue, their big strapping quick, only dismissed one member of the opposition’s top six, and that was when he had already scored a hundred runs, and Shoaib Bashir gave up the large part of 200 runs. Oh, and England put the opposition in, and conceded the best part of 500.
And at the end of it all, they won. And this time the No 11 didn’t even have to bat. It was a match which they might well have lost. Maybe they should have. But it was also a match which any number of England sides before them wouldn’t even have tried to win. In the first 142 years of Test cricket England scored over 300 runs in the fourth innings to win a Test exactly three times, and in the past six years of Test cricket England have scored over 300 runs in the fourth innings to win a Test exactly three times, once when Ben Stokes scored his 135 here to beat Australia, and now twice when he’s been captain.
Written by Andy Bull at Headingley
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/24/englands-unlikely-win-a-beautiful-reward-for-approach-under-ben-stokes under the title “England’s unlikely win a beautiful reward for approach under Ben Stokes | Andy Bull”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
