Early on the fifth day here Ben Stokes ran in to bowl at Shubman Gill, letting out a short moan of effort and pain as the ball left his hand. It climbed off the pitch and smashed into Gill’s right glove, sending the batter scuttling away in agony.
It was the second time he had been hit on that hand; on Thursday Jofra Archer was the bowler, and when Gill ripped off the glove to assess the damage he revealed a thumb clad in skin‑toned protective strapping. This time when the glove came off his thumb was fully bandaged, but it was the forefinger that had taken the hit.
