Watch: England captain Ben Stokes dismissed Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza with a peach on day two of the one-off Test at Trent Bridge.
After bowling the last two balls of the 37th over of Zimbabwe’s innings, following a finger injury to Shoaib Bashir – who had just become England’s fastest bowler to 50 Test wickets – Stokes returned for a full over later. He struck gold immediately, producing a sharp outswinger with his second ball.
The delivery, pitched on a good length, jagged away with steep bounce. Raza, squared up as he leapt off his feet, could only edge it to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. In his next over, Stokes then castled Wessly Madhevere for a 10-ball duck to reduce Zimbabwe to 199-5.
Over the years, recurring injuries have barred Stokes from bowling regularly. His heaviest Test workload in over two years was during the Christchurch Test against New Zealand last year, where he sent down 24 overs for 1-91.
In the first innings, England scored 565-6 declared at 5.85 runs per over – the third-highest run rate for a team innings of 500 runs or more in Test cricket history. With Zak Crawley (124), Ben Duckett (140) and Ollie Pope (171) all scoring centuries, England’s top three set a unique world record on the opening day.
Watch Stokes dismiss Raza in a double-wicket burst:
In need of a breakthrough? 🤔
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 23, 2025
Call Ben Stokes today. pic.twitter.com/c0yeTBNvbg
