He resisted logic, physics and perhaps cricket fate. On the tense last afternoon in Lord, with India, only 22 runs and England needed one goal from victory, off-spinner shaib Bashir, breaking the broken finger, bowing to the delivery of Mohammed Siraj that every visual hint was not to hit the stumps. And yet it does.
Siraj, Batting on No. 11, showed an admirable struggle in 30 supplies. He played with a straight bat, soft hands and a steadfast focus and saw Jofra Archer. It looked as if Siraj would give Ravindra Jadeja until the second new ball came. India was reduced to 82 for 7 and then to 112 for 8 in their chase 193. Jadeja, along with Tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj, almost won for India. Siraj hung around and showed a huge gravel to offer his partner for tabs – and a nation – hope.
In the 75th Indian shifts, when Bashir undressed the departed color from the pavilion end, with the gentleman slope gently in the game, Siraj did exactly what he wanted.
And somehow it bowed.
It was not a van that shouted the danger. Bashir floated it with a gentle crossing from the pavilion. Siraj did what he trained to do: stay back, soft hands, the dead bat leaned slightly through his body. The ball hit the center of his bat. Clean contact. Defense of the textbook. And yet it sounded into stumps.
ENG vs Indian, 3. Test main points | Scorecard
In real time it didn’t make sense. And even in slow movement, it is hardly added up.
How did the ball the tail back and kissed the stumps?
It was gentle. Almost too fine to believe.
The soft hands from Siraj lent sufficiently the highest company to make the ball the tail after jumping on the fold. It was enough for the ball to return to the stumps.
The ball was brushed by the foot, not by force, but so gentle with the touch that it seemed that the deposit could remain in place.
If it was a flashing deposit, like those used in cricket white ball, it would probably be. But that was a traditional red ball format. The wooden deposit overthrew and the Indian brave defiance finally ended.
Ston four times!
Cricket analyst Jarrod Kimber captured madness.
“And then the last balls of the day – got a hard spindle van and in the middle in the middle. He did everything you could ask from number 11. He hit the same center of the bat.
“It was as good as it could be expected to play number 11. But they are perfect soft hands. Even in Bashir’s lack of tempo, with cabbage cricket ball, the bats of the bat will just turn a little and angles.
“So the ball should fall directly in front of him – but falls to the left, into the gap between medium and legs. He should usually stand right there.
“Then the ball lands in the dough leaders. It can spin back. But even then it doesn’t turn straight. After hitting near the fold, the stump line spins back – but to the outside of the foot.
“But then the ball turns on the second landing and straightens.
“I know at first glance it looks like he should dig it. But at a time he realized where the ball was, and his shoe is moving, it’s too late.
“Mohammed Siraj was made by a company – from the playground, from the bat and then again from the playground,” he added.
Siraj looked back in disbelief. And why not? He did everything right. It was a moment for survival. Yet the ball somehow found.
It was quite literally the ball of the match.
In Lord’s – where the slope changed good balls into great generations – could be another factor in the game. Bashir, bowling from the end of the pavilion, could extract just a little more reflection and immersion. But even that does not explain the absolute peculiarity of what happened.
It wasn’t such a magic ball in the sense of Shane Warne. It wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t dramatic. It was a spring, one of the last reversals from the surface – and became the most important delivery of the match.
England broke out. 22-run victory was sealed. Siraj knelt on the ground in tears. Jadeja, at the other end, was just as broken. India should chase 193 if their highest order accelerated. Even without that, India showed a fight – but it shouldn’t have been.
They will go again in Manchester in eight days. And they will hope that the friction of the green is going in the fourth test.
– ends
Published:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
16 July 2025
