England won their one-off Test against Zimbabwe by an innings, but while the result was never in doubt, there was still plenty to be gleaned from how the game panned out.
As a warm-up for the visit of India, the game filled its purpose, England’s bowlers tested at times by a spirited Zimbabwe batting line-up, and their batters boosting their confidence and getting into rhythm in friendly conditions.
Here’s what we learned from the game.
Stokes’ all-round return gives England reason to be optimistic
Stokes’ output with the ball amounted to only 68 balls and three wickets, and yet it was impossible not to be gladdened by the sight of him properly steaming in. He has switched between being a specialist batter and an all-rounder, but always with the sense that various ailments were holding him back in both disciplines. Now, with his hamstring surgically mended, there’s hope that this comeback can stick. There was a reminder too of just how valuable Stokes is as a bowler, not just because of how he balances the XI, but because of how he rounds out the attack. There’s an argument that he’s England’s most well-rounded seamer, capable of swinging the new and reversing ball and of finding breakthroughs when very little is happening for the rest. His two first-innings wickets came with lift and swing, breaking the game open with Bashir off the field. England will hope it’s not another false dawn.
Bashir thrives under Stokes’ leadership
Nine wickets in the game for Bashir brought with them a bunch of notable England Test records – the youngest to take a six-for since Fred Trueman, and the youngest to 50 wickets and four five-fors ever – and reasserted him as England’s No.1 spinner. This after he came into the game with two wickets at 152 in Division Two of the County Championship this season and pressure mounting over his place after a poor end to 2024. It feels simplistic to ascribe Bashir’s oscillating fortunes entirely to the man who happens to be setting his fields. The differing demands on a spinner in county cricket, the to-be-expected fluctuations in form of a youngster finding his way, and the bad games Bashir has had under Stokes all run counter to the theory. And yet the contrast when it’s Stokes in charge compared to when it’s not – an average of 33 compared to 65 under Ollie Pope – is now so stark that the impact is impossible to ignore. Bashir himself describes the England dressing room as his “happy place” but it’s he who deserves most of the credit. Given the precarious nature of life as a specialist spinner, the growing scrutiny on his every delivery and his own inexperience, he could easily have crumbled. Instead, he shone. If Stokes brings out his best, it’s only because that best is there close to the surface.
6️⃣ WICKETS for Shoaib Bashir 😱
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 24, 2025
😱 Jaw-dropping catches
🎉 England's first win of the summer
Full Day Two Highlights 👇https://t.co/5L2dJi3SQS pic.twitter.com/naIf4dvunM
Cook’s debut comes and goes
Test debuts can be a lifetime in the making and then pass in the blink of an eye, and while Sam Cook hardly looked out of place, there was also a sense of an opportunity missed, especially with the likes of Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes all soon to come back into the frame. There were times when he showed the control that has made him such a County Championship force, but also not quite the penetration to force his way up the pecking order. Some of that was down to how he was used, with England all in on a bouncer strategy that doesn’t play to Cook’s strengths. Would he be better utilised by being asked just to plug at the top of off stump, in the manner that won him a call-up? That will be the question when he next gets another go, though it remains to be seen when that will be.
England’s big top order decision still looms
While Zimbabwe performed creditably and grew into the game, the runs England plundered on day one were some of the easiest they will be allowed to help themselves to in Test cricket. A small playing area, a docile pitch, and an inexperienced attack that lost an opening bowler to injury meant Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope were able to glide to hundreds with ease. In a way, they were hundreds that Crawley and Pope couldn’t afford not to make, with Jacob Bethell back in contention for the next Test against India.
Also read: Fastest 500-plus innings in Tests, full list: Nottingham declaration completes all-England top five
Stokes railed against the press for, in his view, twisting his comments ahead of the Test to make Bethell’s return to the XI seem more certain than it in fact is. “That was written to suit an agenda that was being said away from what is in the team,” he said. In reality, a shadowy media conspiracy all in aid of Big Bethell feels unlikely, and reading Stokes’ original comments and the question asked, the inference Bethell would return not just to the squad but the team feels fair enough. Whatever the rights and wrongs, England have a three-into-two problem, and they are no closer to solving it after a Trent Bridge run-fest.
Zimbabwe justify end to England exile
The first day was ugly, if understandable, though perhaps batting first would have afforded Zimbabwe the opportunity to grow into the game. But when they did get bat in hand, Craig Ervine’s men showed they were well worth the opportunity of a Test match in England. Brian Bennett’s century was the headline and Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza both raised their bats, memorable moments in storied careers. The crowd partied throughout, celebrating a team who did them proud. This wasn’t a contest for the ages, but it was an occasion to savour.
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