London [UK], July 15 (ANI): England captain Ben Stokes believes that their frontline off-spinner Shoaib Bashir picking up the final wicket was “written in the stars”. He also confirmed that the young ball tweaker has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests against India, following their hard-earned 22-run victory in the third fixture of the five-match series at Lord’s.
On the third day, Bashir was struck firmly on his left hand by Ravindra Jadeja’s low-driven shot while attempting for a caught-and-bowled chance. He immediately signalled to the dressing room and went off the field to receive treatment. After England’s win, Sky Sports reported that Bashir is set to undergo surgery later this week.
Despite nursing an injury on his non-bowling hand, Bashir came out to bat in the final session on day four and added seven runs with Jofra Archer for the final wicket to propel England to 192.
Bashir sat out for the majority of the final day and came out to bowl in the final moments of the game. He broke Indian hearts after Mohammed Siraj middled his shot, but the overspin turned the ball back into the stumps, leaving the Indian speedster in dismay and with a look of disbelief.
Bashir sprinted to celebrate the moment as England players swarmed him and lifted him in the air as England raced to a 2-1 lead in the series. According to Stokes, the moment was written in the stars.
“We didn’t even ask if we wanted him to bat. He got his pads on and got his hands strapped with extra padding. He put on some crucial runs for us. That could have been the difference. It was written in the stars that it was the one to come and take it,” Stokes said in a video posted by the ECB.
During the post-match press conference, Stokes emphasised the impact of the 21-year-old’s absence on the team and hailed him for his brave act on the field and told reporters, “It’s not good news for Bash. Very disappointing for us as a team and for him, a big shame. I think the courage that he showed to go out there and bat at the end for us.”
“Willing to sit there on the bench waiting for his moment to come on and bowl just proves how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on, that not even a couple of breaks is going to stop anyone getting out there,” he added. (ANI)
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