England Clinches Series Win Against West Indies Thanks To Bashir's Five-Wicket Haul
Ben Stokes praised Shoaib Bashir after the young bowler's five-wicket haul secured England's series win over West Indies. England triumphed by 243 runs on day four at Trent Bridge, with Bashir achieving figures of 5-41.
The hosts began the day at 248-3, thanks to a stellar partnership between Joe Root (122) and Harry Brook (109). This set a challenging target of 385 for the Windies. Bashir then delivered a remarkable spell, taking 3-8 in just 15 deliveries and later dismissing Jason Holder and Shamar Joseph to complete his five-wicket haul.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, captain Stokes said: "I didn't see it happening that quickly after the opening partnership, I thought they played well."
"You could see at the end of our innings the wicket started misbehaving more than it did in the first three days, a couple were bouncing and then keeping low," Stokes added.
Stokes highlighted Bashir's performance on a pitch that offered little assistance to bowlers. "I thought the way we fought back after that first wicket was impressive, Bashir getting five wickets on a wicket that didn't really do that much," he said. "I thought he showed his class and his ability to be able to change his pace and undercut the ball."
The dismissal of Jason Holder particularly impressed Stokes. "The wicket of Jason Holder showed the world what he's got," he remarked.
Future Matches
England now aims for a series sweep when they face West Indies at Edgbaston next week. Following this, they will play three Tests against Sri Lanka from late August to early September.
Reflecting on their recent performances, Stokes said: "It has been a great start after a long break between Test series. I think we've played some good cricket but I still think we can get better."
"I'm really looking forward to the next four matches," he concluded.
We're all Ben Stokes right now pic.twitter.com/VN33RkGeB7
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 21, 2024
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