England have begun their Test-match summer as most would’ve expected, with a comprehensive victory against Zimbabwe, by an innings and 45 runs.
It was Shoaib Bashir who starred in the third and final day at Trent Bridge, ending with his career best figures of 6-81 in 18 overs.
Zimbabwe show fight but not enough on Day 3
The overcasts this morning suggested that England would wrap things up without fuss, with Zimbabwe already 2 wickets down heading into the day. Sean Williams continued his onslaught from yesterday evening, motoring to 88 before getting trapped by Bashir, falling victim to a narrow umpire’s call decision.
Ben Curran scraped his way to 37, whilst Sikandar Raza impressed at the backend of the innings with a blistering 60. With Richard Ngarava absent with injury, Bashir’s
dismissal of Tanaka Chivanga with an LBW that stayed unexpectedly low concluded the contest.
The songs and dances that the travelling fans had ceaselessly rolled out throughout the week continued long after the final ball, as the Zimbabwean players showed their appreciation of their supporters in a lap around the boundary. Speaking after the game, Zimbabwean captain Craig Ervine emphasized their appreciation. “You can hear them singing from in the changing rooms – it’s pretty special.”
He added that “It would be outstanding to have that fixture (a one-off Test in England) every year. I think as a Zimbabwian player, there is no better place to come and test yourself as a cricketer”.
So, an inevitable victory for England, but a valuable one nonetheless, with a number of key takeaways.
Bashir responds to his critics
As it stands, England’s first-choice spinner is Somerset’s third-choice spinner. Loaned off to Glamorgan for the first three rounds of the County Championship this season, Shoaib Bashir’s induction into professional cricket, let alone Test cricket, has been unconventional.
Making his first-class debut for Somerset in June of 2023, having played for Berkshire the year before, Bashir was initially picked for the Test side off the back of an Instagram post of him taking a wicket for Somerset.
Of course, the England captain Ben Stokes watched this video, and naturally called up Rob Key to select the off-spin bowler for their upcoming tour of India. Despite missing his international debut due to visa issues, the 21-year-old now has 58 wickets in 16 Test matches.
It has not been plain sailing for Bashir, and difficult tours of Pakistan and New Zealand this winter meant that he entered the summer amidst calls of his dropping – with the alternative posed that Joe Root could offer some frontline spin, allowing England to pick an extra batter.
3 wickets in the first innings of this Test was good – but not enough. Still, there were valid questions around his consistency that went unanswered, but his 6-fer today has brought him some valuable time.
Not only did Bashir take wickets, but he bowled well – by no means is he the finished article, but today showed promise. The drift and flight of his deliveries were far more consistent and accurate.
Speaking after the game, Ben Stokes was pleased to say that “He’s bowling much more consistently, going from strength to strength”, and that “We know that we’ve got a very
special talent in Bash”.
I think that settles his selection queries for the India series.
Stokes is back
The England captain was arguably the most effective of the English bowlers, taking 3 wickets in 11 overs across the match. Swinging the ball both ways is a valuable commodity in Test cricket, and Stokes was swinging it with an aggression that suggests he is getting back to his best. Stokes himself took the same view after the match: “Today was really good. Best that I’ve felt in a long time”.
Whilst not back to full fitness, it looks as if the talismanic all-rounder can play that role in the upcoming India series.
Sam Cook?
Strolling down the wicket to a seam bowler and hitting them back over their head for six runs should not be as comfortable for any batsman as it looked for Sikandar Raza, facing Sam Cook. The Zimbabwean highlighted the County stalwart’s shortcomings in the pace department, putting away the debutants’ surprising bouncer attack midway through the afternoon session with ease. Cook did in fact bowl well, leaning on his trademark wobble-seam, but lacked a level of accuracy that was expected of him.
With the plethora of pace options at England’s disposal, it will be hard for him to keep his place ahead of India.
Zimbabwe will be back
The result of this Test is far from a heartbreak for Zimbabwe. As put by Craig Ervine, “There’s a lot of knowledge that guys have gained over the last two weeks that we’ve been in the UK”.
With England already heavy favourites, expectations around this Test were marred even further by the Zimbabweans’ comprehensive defeat to a very young Counties Select XI side in a warm-up match last week at Leicester, where the tourists capitulated to a
138-run defeat from a commanding position.
There is no denying that any innings defeat is crushing, yet when you consider that Zimbabwe haven’t played in England since 2003, that the wicket’s firm bounce perfectly suited England’s aggressive style, and that since 2011 Zimbabwe have averaged 3 Test matches per year, the result isn’t all that bad.
For one thing, the batting showed promise. Brian Bennett’s 1st innings score of 139 at nearly a run a ball is evidently the standout knock for Zimbabwe, and will hopefully inspire the youth of Zimbabwe to want to play Test cricket. Half-centuries from veterans Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, alongside useful cameos from the rest of the top order, will fill their side with confidence ahead of a two-Test series against South Africa late next month.
Whilst fairly lackluster with ball in hand – failing to adequately test the English batters ahead of a defining year of Test cricket – something can be said for the resilience of the visitors, with their determination and intensity never waning amidst a barrage of shots from an imposing English lineup.
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