Exactly six years on from the barest of margins, another deflection sent a Lord’s epic England’s way. An intense battle of wills ended at 4.54pm on the final day when Mohammed Siraj, India’s No 11, thought he had repelled some extra bounce from Shoaib Bashir, only for the ball to trickle back on to the stumps and dislodge a bail.
It was a galling way for Shubman Gill’s touring side to lose this third Test by just 22 runs and go 2-1 down in the series; a mixture of relief and jubilation for Ben Stokes and the hosts. Much like the World Cup final here in 2019, England got over the line on a humdinger of a day that at the same time very nearly broke them.
