Ben Stokes is poised to resume his status as an all-rounder and boost England’s bowling options on a pitch expected to be the most spin-friendly on the tour of India.
Stokes will wait to see how his body reacts to a demanding 35-minute spell of fast bowling in training on Wednesday before deciding if he will send down any overs in the fourth Test, starting on Friday in Ranchi.
He has not bowled competitively since early July and initially had no plans to do so in this series after surgery in November to have stitches in his meniscus and a bone spur removed from his left knee.
Indeed, Stokes had made a “pinky promise” with England’s physiotherapist Ben Davies not to bowl in India but that looks increasingly likely to change with his side 2-1 down in the five-match series.
“Whatever way we decide to go, (if) I feel I am capable of bowling, I will bowl,” said the England captain, who added he would buy Davies a beer if he broke his vow.
“I think there is a possible chance but I will just have to wait and see how everything is.
“I wanted to get a long spell in to see how everything coped whilst doing it then see how I pull up. It is all good at the moment. That is the longest I have bowled in six months.
“Before I went and had the surgery I was told 12-13 weeks before I could start bowling. I am two weeks ahead of that and I am quite far ahead, but there are things I have to think about other than my knee.”
Stokes returning to bowl allows England to have two seamers in their XI and select three frontline spinners in Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, as well as the part-time offerings of Joe Root.
The playing surface in the Jharkhand capital 48 hours out from the first day of the penultimate match has cracks running down one side of the cut strip, which a bemused Stokes admitted he has never encountered before in India.
The evidence points to a wicket which will offer lavish spin but there may be some variable bounce as well which could aid the quicks as England look to bounce back from a heavy defeat in Rajkot.
“It just looked interesting,” said Stokes, echoing the observation England vice-captain Ollie Pope made a couple of hours earlier.
“If you looked down one side of opposite ends it just looked different to what I am used to seeing, especially out in India.
“It looked green and grassy up in the changing rooms but then you go out there it looked different, very dark and crumbly and quite a few cracks in it.”
One or both of James Anderson and Mark Wood could make way after their heavy workloads in Rajkot, which might mean a first appearance of the series for Ollie Robinson, who has not played competitively since the third Ashes Test last July.
Robinson, who averages 22.21 in 19 Tests, can move the new ball both ways, while his use of reverse swing on the predominantly lifeless pitches of Pakistan last winter caught the eye.
“He’s got unbelievable skills to be a successful bowler anywhere in the world,” Stokes said.
“He has worked incredibly hard while he has been out here. Not playing the first three Tests can be tough and disappointing but I’ve told him he has been a great example of doing the right things and waiting your turn if it comes.”
England’s attacking methods came in for some flak after a 434-run loss last time out but Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are resisting calls from some ex-players to tinker with their approach.
“You get plaudits when it goes well and a bit of s*** when it doesn’t,” added Stokes, when asked if he was surprised by some of the criticism. “It’s part of it, I’ve been around long enough to know that but we crack on.”
Bangladesh completes dominant 101-run second Test victory over West Indies at Sabina Park; secures first Test win in Caribbean since 2009
Bangladesh completed their first Test match win in the Caribbean in 15 years with a dominant 101-run victory over the West Indies at Sabina Park to draw their two-match series 1-1 on Tuesday.
The tourists started Tuesday’s play in a strong position, 193-5 in 41.4 overs, leading by 211 in their second innings with Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam in the middle on 29 and 9, respectively.
Islam added a further five runs before becoming the first batsman dismissed on the day, caught by Kavem Hodge off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph in the 50th over if the innings.
The wicket of Mominul Haque followed soon after for a duck, leaving Bangladesh 211-7 in the 51st over and giving the hosts hope of wrapping up the innings in quick time to try and secure a series win with the bat.
Ali had other ideas, however, scoring rapidly in the midst of the falling wickets at the other end due to some adventurous stroke making, entertaining the small Sabina Park crowd.
Hasan Mahmud (3) and Taskin Ahmed (0) came and went during Ali’s onslaught that saw Bangladesh make it all the way to 268 all out off 59.5 overs.
Ali, in just his third Test match, was the last man dismissed for a crucial 91 off just 106 balls including eight fours and five sixes.
Kemar Roach finished with 3-36 off 10 overs while Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph also had good spells with 3-77 and 2-80 off 15.5 and 12 overs, respectively.
Set 287 to win, West Indian openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis set out to first ensure that they got to the lunch break without the loss of a wicket.
Unfortunately, even that task proved too much as, in the fifth over of the innings and final one before lunch, Louis (6) played a full delivery from left arm spinner Taijul Islam onto his foot which then lobbed in the air to be caught by Shahadat Hossain fielding at short leg, leaving the West Indies 23-1 off 4.2 overs at lunch.
The post lunch session started with Brathwaite and new batsman Keacy Carty attempting to get stuck into some disciplined Bangladesh bowling.
Almost ten overs into the session, however, Carty played at one to many, edging behind to Litton Das off the bowling of Taijul Islam for 14 leaving the hosts 57-2, needing a further 230 to win.
35 runs later, Brathwaite got a beauty from Islam producing an edge that was parried off the gloves of Das into the arms of the diving Mahmudul Hasan Joy at first slip. Brathwaite made an uncharacteristic 63-ball 43 including two fours and a six.
Three quickly became four as Islam struck once again, this time breaching the defense of Alick Athanaze for five to leave the hosts 106-4 in the 27th over with hopes of a win looking dimmer by the second.
Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves tried to steady proceedings with a 37-run fifth wicket partnership, which lasted through the tea break.
During that partnership, Hodge brought up his third Test fifty before being dismissed not long after, trapped in front for 55 by Islam with the score on 143 in the 39th over.
The wickets of Justin Greaves (20) in the 43rd over and Joshua Da Silva (12) in the 46th over basically ended all hope for what already looked like an improbable victory. Da Silva’s wicket brought up Islam’s 15th five wicket haul in Tests.
Fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and first innings hero Nahid Rana combined with the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (5), Kemar Roach (8) and Shamar Joseph (8) to bowl out the West Indies for 185 in 50 overs and secure Bangladesh’s first win in the Caribbean since 2009.
Islam’s final figures were 5-50 off 17 overs while Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed took 2-20 from six overs and 2-45 from 10 overs, respectively.
Full Scores:
Bangladesh 164 off 71.5 overs (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph 3-49, Kemar Roach 2-45) & 268 off 59.5 overs (Jaker Ali 91, Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42, Kemar Roach 2-36, Alzarri Joseph 3-77, Shamar Joseph 2-80)
West Indies 146 off 65 overs (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19) & 185 off 50 overs (Kavem Hodge 55, Kraigg Brathwaite 43, Taijul Islam 5-50, Hasan Mahmud 2-20, Taskin Ahmed 2-45).
Sufiyan's record-breaking five-for seals T20I series for Pakistan
Sufiyan Muqeem took career-best figures of 5-3 as Pakistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch their three-match T20I series with a match to spare on Tuesday.
After electing to bat first, Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 57 runs in 12.4 overs, their lowest-ever score in the format, beating the 84 they scored against Sri Lanka in January.
Opening duo Brian Bennett (21) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (16) top-scored for the hosts, but when the former fell to Muhammad Abbas Afridi (2-2), their capitulation began.
The hosts lost four wickets in quick succession, including Ryan Burl (1) and Tashinga Musekiwa (0) in consecutive deliveries from the impressive Sufiyan in the eighth over.
Zimbabwe were only able to add 20 runs to their total following Bennett's dismissal, with Salman Ali Agha (1-7), Haris Rauf (1-13) and Abrar Ahmed (1-21) chipping in for Pakistan.
Pakistan made light work of the chase and reached their target with 87 balls remaining, helped by unbeaten knocks from Omair Bin Yousuf (22) and Saim Ayub (36).
After the tourists also won the first game of the series by 57 runs, the third and final fixture will take place on Thursday at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Data Debrief: Sufiyan smashes Gul's T20 record
Having won only one of their last eight multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series (D2 L5), Pakistan improved their record in the format with a comprehensive showing on Tuesday.
They recorded their third 10-wicket T20I triumph, needing just 33 balls to reach their target, with the damage already done by Sufiyan with the ball in hand.
In just his seventh T20I for Pakistan, Sufiyan registered the best bowling figures for the team in the short-over format, surpassing Umar Gul's previous record (5-6 - against New Zealand in 2009 and South Africa in 2013).
Adams lauds five-wicket Rana during strong Bangladesh display
Andre Adams lauded Nahid Rana's bowling display as his five-wicket haul helped the tourists take control on the third day of their second Test against the West Indies.
Starting the day 70-1, the West Indies were dismissed for 146, with Rana (5-61) adding four wickets to his total, having caught and bowled out Mikyle Louis (12) on day two.
Keacy Carty (40) top scored for the hosts, with Rana aided in his attack by Hasan Mahmud (2-19), which gave the tourists a lead of 18 runs ahead of their second innings.
Bangladesh rallied from the early loss of Mahmudul Hasan Joy (0), with the Tigers' opener dismissed by Jayden Seales (1-43), who took four wickets in the previous innings.
Shadman Islam (46) and Mehidy Hasan (42) steadied the ship, but both fell to Shamar Joseph (2-70), before Jaker Ali's unbeaten 29 took the tourists past the 200-run lead mark.
At stumps, Bangladesh were 193-5, an advantage of 211 runs with Jaker and Taijul Islam (9) returning to the crease for day four at Sabina Park in Kingston.
"A very good day, really. Very happy with how our bowlers are going. The batting has been different today, but nice to see,"
Given that the highest successful run-chase in a Test match at Sabina Park is just 211, achieved by the West Indies against Sri Lanka in 2003, history would appear to be on the side of the tourists, forcing a series-levelling victory over the final two days.
And Bangladesh have Rana to thank following his maiden five-for, with head coach Adams highlighting the 22-year-old's significant improvements over the last 12 months.
"We knew it was coming at some stage. When you bowl at 150kph you're going to take wickets at some stage. What he has done in the last year is become accurate.
"He's improved on that more. He is very keen, and he has a lot of pace. We just try to give him some instructions and let his instincts take over.
"He's a young bowler, he bowls fast, so you have got to look after his bowling loads.
"He's young but luckily, we have the likes of Taskin and Hasan to help him and a captain like Mehidy."
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