Ben Stokes revs up his bowling ahead of judgement year for England ...Middle East

Only Test, day two: Zimbabwe 265 (Bennett 139; Bashir 3-62) & 30-2 (Williams 22*) trail England 565-6 dec (Pope 171, Duckett 140, Crawley 124) by 270 runs

TRENT BRIDGE — Despite all the conjecture about selection at the start of a potentially era-defining year for England, Ben Stokes needed just 20 deliveries to demonstrate why keeping him fit to operate as a genuine all-rounder will be the most important factor when it comes to the twin challenges of taking on India and Australia.

This one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which is hurtling towards a swift conclusion after England enforced the follow-on on day two in Nottingham, is a mere hors d’oeuvre.

Ben Stokes, what a delivery pic.twitter.com/FcudJ9UPKy

Those two titanic series will be what this whole Bazball project will be judged on.

The first, starting against India next month, will be tough.

But the Ashes, kicking off in Perth on 21 November, will be the ultimate barometer when it comes to judging an England team who have climbed to second in the world rankings from the depths of one win in 17 when Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took charge three years ago.

Plenty of variables will be at play before the Ashes begin in six months’ time – from how to get Jacob Bethell into the team, to whether fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer will be fit enough to get on the plane Down Under.

Perhaps the most important, though, will be whether England can ensure that the talismanic figure of Stokes is in peak condition following a 12-month period in which he has twice torn his problematic left hamstring that required surgery in January.

This Test is his first competitive cricket in five months.

England bowl Zimbabwe out for 265 to take a 300-run lead, and Ben Stokes has enforced the follow-on pic.twitter.com/lraHs4IG6f

Ring rust was evident during a scratchy 13-ball innings of nine that concluded shortly before the hosts declared on 565 for 5 47 minutes into the day.

Yet remarkably it took Stokes just four deliveries with the ball to show why, regardless of anything else, keeping him fit to bowl will probably hold the key to whatever success England have this year.

Stokes only brought himself on here four balls into the 37th over of Zimbabwe’s first innings when spinner Shoaib Bashir was forced to leave the field after cutting a finger spilling a return catch.

His first delivery was a no-ball. But the next, his first legal delivery, reared up off the pitch and took the edge of Brian Bennett’s bat before Joe Root spilled a regulation catch at first slip.

Bennett, whose reprieve came on 89, would go on to score a deserved century that proved the backbone of his team’s first-innings total of 265.

But Stokes needed just two balls of his first full over to strike with a delivery that swung and found enough bounce to leave Sikandar Raza a contorted figure by the time he had edged behind to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

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Ollie Pope has made Ben Stokes eat his words

Wessly Madhevere followed, Stokes setting him up with three outswingers before shattering the stumps with one that ducked in.

It was supreme skill from England’s captain, who at this point had figures of 2 for 3 after 2.2 overs.

As ever with Stokes, it came at a time when his team needed inspiration after the rest of the seam attack had laboured on a docile pitch.

Many people were wondering whether Stokes would be able to bowl again when he tore his hamstring during the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton last December.

It was easy to rationalise how England might be able to cope without him, too, if that was the case. After all, his greatest moments have all come with the bat.

This was only Zimbabwe. But it was also a reminder of just how effective Stokes has been with the ball at key moments during his career.

Australia, still traumatised by Headingley 2019, need no reminding of that and know that famous England comeback wouldn’t have been possible without Stokes’s bowling efforts in their second innings of that classic Ashes battle.

There were notable performances from others on this second day, including Bashir, the erratic off-spinner taking three wickets.

However, it was Stokes who provided the spark that broke the resistance of a Zimbabwe team who showed admirable fight.

England’s Sam Cook celebrates the wicket of Zimbabwe batsman Ben Curran (Photo: PA)

Golden ball

Sam Cook, the first Test cricketer born in Chelmsford, managed to pick up a wicket in his first spell after taking the new ball on his debut. Despite going for a few runs, he struck in his third over when he had Ben Curran caught at second slip by Harry Brook to spark wild celebrations from the Essex seamer.

Shoaib bags a wicket

Despite doubts about whether he is good enough to be England’s spinner in this huge Ashes year, Shoaib Bashir was thrown the ball early by Ben Stokes and repaid his captain’s faith by snaring the wicket of Craig Ervine shortly after lunch, Zimbabwe’s captain edging a turning delivery.

Gordon Bennett!

At the age of 21, Brian Bennett announced himself on the world stage by scoring Zimbabwe’s fastest-ever Test hundred, getting to the landmark in 97 balls when he cut Gus Atkinson for four. Without him, his team would be in even bigger trouble.

Big Ben strikes…again

Inside his first four legal deliveries, Stokes had Bennett dropped and Sikandar Raza caught behind. He then bowled the hapless Wessly Madhevere for a 10-ball duck to reduce Zimbabwe to 199 for 5 just before tea. All this in his first competitive game for five months.

Stat of the day

“Shoaib Bashir just can’t find his rhythm. The ball’s going everywhere at the moment and that’s not how you build the pressure. He’s missing his length by a couple of feet here.”

Former England spinner Phil Tufnell on BBC Test Match Special

Bazball-o-meter: 7/10

It was hard going for much of the day for England’s bowlers but after smashing 67 runs off 8.3 overs first thing they took 11 wickets on the day after enforcing the follow-on.

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