Bashir Spins England to Commanding Win as Zimbabwe Shows Grit

By Mehr Jan

England began their home Test summer with a thumping innings-and-45-run win over Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, wrapping up the match inside three days. 

Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old offspinner, emerged as the breakout star, bagging career-best match figures of 9 for 143—including a six-wicket haul in the second innings—to power England to a one-off Test victory.

Though England's dominance was clear, Zimbabwe’s performance carried its own compelling narrative. 

Making their first Test appearance on English soil in 22 years, the visitors found heroes in Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, who struck 88 and 60 respectively in a defiant second-innings effort. 

Despite following on and facing a mammoth first-innings deficit of 300 runs—England had piled up 565 for 6 declared, led by centuries from Ollie Pope (171), Ben Duckett (140), and Zak Crawley (124)—Zimbabwe clawed their way to 255 in their second innings, showing heart and technique against an incisive attack.

Williams and Curran Offer Stiff Resistance

Resuming at 30 for 2, Zimbabwe needed resolve. Williams provided it, unfurling a fluent counterattack with a flurry of boundaries, including two cracking shots off Ben Stokes in the third over of the day. 

Williams raced to a 42-ball half-century and played the spinners with authority, sweeping and reverse-sweeping Bashir with command. At the other end, Ben Curran dropped anchor, navigating 104 balls for his 37, and supporting a 122-run stand for the second wicket.

Both batters rode their luck—Curran was given out lbw to Bashir only to survive on review, and Williams was dropped by Stokes off a tough chance at midwicket. But the partnership was broken just before lunch when Williams, on 88, was trapped lbw by Bashir. Ball-tracking showed it clipping the top of leg stump—a marginal call, but one that stood.

Post-lunch, Curran fell soon after, chipping Bashir tamely to short cover. That opened the door for Raza and Wessly Madhevere to string together a solid 65-run stand, pushing Zimbabwe within 45 runs of making England bat again. Raza’s experience and Madhevere’s composure helped weather a probing spell from Sam Cook, while they handled Bashir’s variations with confidence.

England’s Firepower Too Much in the End

Just as Zimbabwe began to believe, Stokes re-entered the attack and struck gold. A short ball to Madhevere induced a top edge that Harry Brook leapt to grab at second slip—an athletic effort that turned the tide once more. 

For England, the win was a strong statement ahead of a packed calendar featuring series against India and the Ashes in Australia. 

For Zimbabwe, despite the result, the match offered glimpses of a team capable of competing on bigger stages—with home series against South Africa, New Zealand, and Afghanistan now in sight.