On July 2, 2022, India and England’s fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah and Stuart Broad – created history in Test cricket, but for the latter, it was a nightmarish feat. Known for his wizardry with the ball, Bumrah showed off his batting skills against the English pacer in the rescheduled fifth Test, stunning the Birmingham crowd.
After opting to field first, the hosts managed to get rid of the Indian top and middle order without sweating hard. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant frustrated them with a 200-plus run partnership for the sixth wicket. They finally got a breakthrough and when the window to tail-enders opened, Broad must have thought of finishing the innings quickly.
He tried to bowl bouncers against Bumrah, but unfortunately, they turned into short balls and the right-hander just kept pulling and hooking. India’s No. 10 batter scored 29 runs off the bat with the help of four fours and two sixes. The cover also contained five wides and a no-ball, which hammered for a six.
With this, Bumrah broke the world record of Brian Lara, George Bailey and Keshav Maharaj, who all had smashed 28 runs off an over each in Test matches. Broad is regarded as one of the greatest Test bowlers in England, but this unwanted record will always haunt him.
India lose despite a decent total on the board
Centuries from Pant and Jadeja and contributions from the lower order led India to a massive first innings score of 416. India added 245 runs more in their second innings in reply to England’s 284. Despite setting a competitive target of 378 runs in the final innings, the Indian bowlers failed to win the game.
The England batters, especially Jonny Bairstow, made it look easy as they went past the target in 76.4 overs. Bairstow and former England captain Joe Root scored unbeaten centuries to lead them to a comfortable victory. Openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley also made vital contributions.
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