Ben Stokes bowled 44 overs in the third Test, including demanding final-day spells. Despite past hamstring injuries, the 34-year-old remains committed. “I’m not going to lie, I cannot wait to just lie on my bed for four days,” he joked. “But if the situation requires it again, I’ll do what I need to do.”
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The series, which has gone the full five days in every Test so far, is being compared to the iconic 2005 Ashes. “It’s been toe-to-toe,” Stokes said. “The quality from both sides has been unbelievable. It’s been great to be part of.”
England have recalled left-arm spinner Liam Dawson for the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Dawson returns after Shoaib Bashir suffered a series-ending finger injury.
However, England’s win at Lord’s came at a cost. The team was docked two crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points due to a slow over-rate, dropping them from second to third in the standings for the 2025–2027 cycle. The over-rate issue — which also cost them 22 points in the last cycle — has led Stokes to again question the ICC’s current rules.
“There needs to be a real hard look at how it’s structured,” Stokes said. “You can’t have the same rules for spin-friendly pitches in Asia and seam-dominated conditions in England or Australia.”
India’s young captain Shubman Gill accused England of ignoring the spirit of the game following what he described as deliberate time-wasting during the third Test. Emotions ran high at Lord’s after England’s Zak Crawley slowed the game down late on Day 3 by walking in late, withdrawing from his stance twice, and calling for medical attention after a minor knock.
As a result, India couldn’t bowl the remaining overs of the day, prompting on-air apologies from broadcasters when stump mics caught Gill’s angry outburst.
“There’s a manner to do it,” Gill said ahead of the fourth Test. “They were 90 seconds late to the crease — that’s not in the spirit of the game.”
While Gill admitted to losing his cool, he explained it was driven by rising emotions during a hard-fought series. “We had no intention of saying what was said. But when things happen that shouldn’t, sometimes emotions come out,” he explained.
Gill confirmed that fast bowler Akash Deep is out of the fourth Test due to a groin injury. India are likely to debut Anshul Kamboj, a right-arm quick added to the squad after Nitish Reddy’s withdrawal due to a knee issue and Arshdeep Singh’s unavailability.
The series continues to build intensity both on and off the field, with both sides now eyeing Old Trafford as the next battleground in one of the most gripping Test rivalries in recent years.
