After England completed an enthralling 22-run win over India at Lord’s in the third Test, we rate each member of Ben Stokes’ side out of 10.
Zak Crawley – 5
18 off 43 balls in first innings
22 off 49 balls in second innings
England opener Crawley made the headlines after his comical theatrics delayed India from bowling two overs in the final moments of day three. However, the 27-year-old has only made one score of 50 or more across Headingley, Edgbaston and Lord’s.
Remarkably, the 22-run margin in the third Test which gave England a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, was the score Crawley made in his second innings.
Ben Duckett – 5
23 off 40 balls in first innings
12 off 12 balls in second innings
The other England opener also struggled to make a substantial score at Lord’s after gloving behind to Rishabh Pant in the first innings.
In the second innings, Duckett pulled Mohammed Siraj to Jasprit Bumrah at mid-on and received a fiery send-off from the India quick, where they barged shoulders. Siraj was later fined 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point.
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Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad discuss the aggravation between England and India during the Test match
Ollie Pope – 6
44 off 104 balls in first innings
4 off 17 balls in second innings
England’s vice-captain rode the wave of pressure well in the first innings. He came in to bat when Duckett and Crawley were dismissed in quick succession and shared a brilliant 109-run partnership with Joe Root for the third wicket.
Joe Root – 9
104 off 199 balls in first innings
40 off 96 balls in second innings
0-35 and 0-1 bowling
Root was the only England player to make a century in the third Test as he continued to dig his side out of trouble at No 4.
He shared a 109-run partnership with Pope to help rebuild in the first innings, with England eventually 387 all out after 112.3 overs.
Root’s 40 in the second innings was also England’s highest score as he, once again, cemented the middle order.
Harry Brook – 5
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Incredible scenes at Lord’s as England win by 22 runs after the ball rolled back onto Mohammed Siraj’s stumps
11 off 20 balls in first innings
23 off 19 balls in second innings
So far, the Lord’s Test has been the only one where Brook has not scored at least a half-century.
He was bowled by Bumrah and Akash Deep as he struggled against India’s pacers on a flat track and was unable to help the middle order with a solid partnership.
However, the Yorkshireman was terrific in the field, taking four sharp catches during India’s first innings to see the back of Yashasvi Jaiswal (13), KL Rahul (100), Washington Sundar (23) and Deep (7).
Ben Stokes – 9
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Ben Stokes speaks to Sky Sports after a famous 22-run victory for England against India
44 off 110 balls in first innings
33 off 96 balls in second innings
2-63 and 3-48 bowling
With the ball, in the field and with the bat, Stokes is never out of the game. He bowled a staggering 44 overs in the third Test, including two 10-over spells.
There were plenty of notable times when he turned the game on its head. The first was when he ran out Pant on 74 from cover point with a superb direct hit. Then in the second innings, he dismissed Deep with the last ball of day four.
On day five, Stokes trapped KL Rahul (39) leg-before to give England an early breakthrough, before his short-ball ploy paid dividends and Bumrah was caught off a pull shot.
On the morning of day five, England quick Brydon Carse told Sky Sports the message from the captain was to make sure they leave nothing out in the field. Stokes certainly did that. Pressure? What pressure?
Jamie Smith – 8
51 off 56 balls in first innings
8 off 14 balls in second innings
Jamie Smith has been one of the most consistent players in the series so far. His big shots in the middle of the order have almost guaranteed England stability.
He notched a half-century in his first innings and also went past 1,000 Test runs at Lord’s, making him the joint-fastest wicketkeeper to do so.
Smith’s excellent glovework has proven to be decisive and he has a trusting role in his say on reviews.
Chris Woakes – 6
3-84 in first innings
1-21 in second innings
Scores of 0 and 10
The flat track at Lord’s offered little movement in the first three days at Lord’s, which made it difficult for the bowlers to make inroads.
However, the 36-year-old was the only player in the first innings to claim a three-for and he bowled 39 overs across the Test.
Brydon Carse – 8
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Brydon Carse had India captain Shubman Gill trapped LBW as England reduced the visitors to 53-3
1-88 in first innings
2-30 in second innings
Scores of 56 and 1
The Durham all-rounder made important contributions both with the bat and ball in England’s win. He hit Siraj for six to bring up his half-century, and his 56 was the second-highest score in England’s first innings.
He bowled 40 overs across the Test, including seven maidens, and his quickfire LBW wickets of Karun Nair (14) and India’s captain Shubman Gill (6) on the evening of day four swung momentum England’s way.
Jofra Archer – 8
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England and Jofra Archer were on fire on the final morning as the bowler took an incredible one-handed catch to remove Washington Sundar for a duck
2-52 in first innings
3-55 in second innings
Scores of 4 and 5no
Jofra Archer said being part of the Lord’s win in his comeback game made his long journey back to Test cricket “all worth it.”
The fast bowler, 30, was absent from the five-day arena for over four years due to a litany of back and elbow injuries.
Archer took two wickets in India’s first innings, including nicking off Jaiswal with his third ball of the match to spark wild celebrations from himself, his team-mates and the crowd. He also regularly clocked speeds of over 90mph.
It was a fitting finale for the hosts and Archer, made even more sentimental by being played on the six-year anniversary of England’s famous World Cup victory in 2019 at the same venue where Archer bowled the famous Super Over.
Shoaib Bashir – 6
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KL Rahul reached a century in the first innings of the third Test, then was caught out moments later from Shoaib Bashir
1-59 in first innings
1-6 in second innings
Scores of 1no and 2
Bashir, who had spent much of this Test off the field nursing a finger injury, took the match-winning wicket as his delivery spun onto Siraj’s leg stump off an under-edge and dislodged the bail.
The 21-year-old sustained a fracture to one of his left fingers and has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against India and is scheduled to undergo surgery later this week.
His remarkable commitment to continue bowling when England needed him is admirable, and in the end it paid off, earning them a win in a tight contest.
Watch the fourth Test between England and India at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event on Wednesday July 23, with coverage from 10am ahead of the first ball at 11am, or stream without a contract.
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
