Manchester [UK], July 24 : England skipper Ben Stokes continued his delightful run with the ball during the ongoing home series against England, breaking his record for most overs bowled by himself during the course of a Test series.
On day one of the fourth Test, Stokes finished with figures of 2/47 in 14 overs, getting valuable wickets of skipper Shubman Gill for just 12 and a well-set Sai Sudharsan for 61 runs. Stokes started the day with a five-over spell, then followed it with a four-over spell and concluded the day with another five overs worth of deliveries.
Even though a big knock with the bat continues to elude him, with just 163 runs in six innings at an average of 27.16 and best score of 44, Stokes has been England's miracle man with the ball, topping the wicket charts with 13 scalps at an average of 28.53 in seven innings, with best figures of 4/66. So far, he has bowled 119.0 overs, the most he has done in a Test series, surpassing his workload of 116.5 overs against Australia during the 2013-14 Ashes series (in eight innings, away from home) and 116.2 overs (in eight innings) against India in the 2018 series at home.
Raw statistics do not do justice to the impact Stokes creates. His wicket column might not be the best always, but he has been the one putting in hard yards despite his recent fitness setbacks, which effectively reduced his hamstring and knees to absolutely nothing at one point. With high-profile wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill, Karun Nair, KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan being amongst his victims, he has essentially hunted the top order really well and made an impact.
A fully fit Stokes, contributing decent numbers with the bat and bowling relentlessly is a good sign for England as they gear up for an Ashes series against Australia this November away from home.
One of his most remarkable outings was during the final day of the third Lord's Test, when he bowled almost 10 overs on the trot, getting the big wicket of KL Rahul. Bowling in tandem with Jofra Archer, they reduced India to 82/7 during a 193-run chase. Later when Ravindra Jadeja was putting up a fight with tailender Jasprit Bumrah, Stokes brought back England into the game, ending a resillient 35-run stand which saw Bumrah soak up 54 deliveries and give Jadeja some freedom to play. At Lord's, he bowled a total of 44 overs and took five wickets. Along with his knocks of 44 and 33 and a stunning Rishabh Pant run-out, he earned the 'Player of the Match' award.
Team India ended day one at 264/4, with Shardul Thakur (19*) and Ravindra Jadeja (16*). Rishabh Pant, who retired hurt at 37 due to a foot injury, was a massive blow to India. Half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) served as the biggest contributions of the day.
Skipper Stokes (2/47) stood as the pick of the bowlers, removing skipper Shubman Gill and Sudharsan.