Ben Stokes stood at Headingley on the evening of Day 1, facing questions over his decision to bowl first after winning the toss. India had raced to 430 for 3, and many were quick to label it a mistake. Former captain Michael Vaughan even admitted he was “staggered” by England’s decision. But five days later, Stokes had the last laugh, as England pulled off yet another memorable fourth-innings chase, hunting down 371 with five wickets to spare.
“It’s a good job Test cricket is played over five days, isn’t it?” Stokes said with a smile after sealing the win. “Imagine thinking that way at the end of day one, before we’ve even had a chance to bat.”
SLK
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SKA
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126/1
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139/3
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Match Called off
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24/4
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This victory at Headingley adds another chapter to England’s remarkable fourth-innings record under Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Since Stokes took over as full-time Test captain in 2022, England have now chased down 250-plus targets six times. No other team has more than two such chases in that period. This includes famous wins like the 378-run chase against India at Edgbaston in 2022 and a 250-plus chase against Australia at the same Headingley venue in 2023.
| Team | Score Chased | Opposition (Venue, Year) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 378/3 | vs India (Birmingham, 2022) |
| England | 373/5 | vs India (Leeds, 2025) |
| Pakistan | 344/6 | vs Sri Lanka (Galle, 2022) |
| England | 299/5 | vs New Zealand (Nottingham, 2022) |
| England | 296/3 | vs New Zealand (Leeds, 2022) |
| England | 279/5 | vs New Zealand (Lord’s, 2022) |
| Australia | 282/8 | vs England (Birmingham, 2023) |
| South Africa | 282/5 | vs Australia (Lord’s, 2025) |
| New Zealand | 285/8 | vs Sri Lanka (Christchurch, 2023) |
| Australia | 281/7 | vs New Zealand (Christchurch, 2024) |
| New Zealand | 269/3 | vs South Africa (Hamilton, 2024) |
| England | 254/7 | vs Australia (Leeds, 2023) |
Stokes’ decision to bowl first, while heavily scrutinized initially, was rooted in his team’s confidence while chasing. “You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball is bowled,” Stokes explained. “You’ve got to go with what you think is going to give you the best chance of winning the game. The wicket here on day one looked like there was a bit of grass on top of it. There was a bit of moisture underneath it.”
The data at Headingley supports his thinking. This was England’s sixth win in a row at the ground dating back to 2018, and on every occasion, they had bowled first. Interestingly, Headingley pitches in recent years have tended to flatten out as games progress, often making batting in the fourth innings more manageable than many traditional Test venues.
While much of the post-match praise went to the team’s fearless approach, Stokes singled out the contribution of his openers. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley put on 188 for the first wicket, breaking the back of a challenging chase right from the start.
“It was unbelievable,” Stokes said of the opening partnership. “Unless you’re involved in it, [it’s hard to know] the pressure of the fourth innings, going out there. Opening the batting is hard enough, especially in England. So that partnership that Zak and Ben got us off to was just incredible.”
Duckett, who was named Player of the Match for his 62 in the first innings and a brilliant 149 off 170 balls in the chase, explained how they approached the final day. “It was pretty clear to us this morning. If we batted for the whole day [at the tempo that] we normally do, we’d probably get the total, so we didn’t overthink anything,” Duckett said. “Certainly we had to get through Jasprit’s first spell and that new ball, and from there on, we were just playing our natural games.”
Despite Bumrah’s five-for in the first innings, England managed to deny him any wickets in the second. “He’s a world-class bowler,” Duckett acknowledged. “In that first innings he was superb, so to limit his damage was massive for us.”
Crawley, meanwhile, played the perfect foil, staying composed and letting Duckett take the more aggressive route once the initial threat was neutralized. As Stokes noted, “Those two complement each other so well. Ducky got the big score, but the way Zak stayed composed was crucial.”
A big part of England’s success in chasing daunting fourth-innings targets has been their calm mindset. Stokes and McCullum have completely reshaped England’s approach to chasing. There is no thought of a draw, only winning. “We’re a very simple-minded pair,” Stokes said. “Everyone knows what cricket’s about: it’s about scoring more runs than your opposition, when you strip it all back.”
Time, for this England team, is almost irrelevant. Stokes admitted, “It was pretty simple yesterday: if we bat the overs left in this game, we will win this game, just because of how quick the ground has been for scoring.”
Duckett echoed that sentiment. “It felt really calm in the dressing room,” he said. And with Joe Root at the crease, there was even more reason to stay relaxed. “It’s pretty easy to be calm when Rooty is at the crease,” Duckett added.
Root once again played a crucial hand in the chase, finishing unbeaten on 53 alongside Jamie Smith, who struck the winning runs. This was Root’s sixth unbeaten fourth-innings knock under Stokes’ captaincy when chasing. He has now become England’s leading run-scorer in successful chases, surpassing Alastair Cook.
This Headingley win adds to Stokes’ growing reputation as a captain who is unafraid to take bold calls. This was the 11th time Stokes has chosen to bowl first as England captain. His record now reads eight wins, two losses, and one draw when doing so. He has now opted to field first more often than any previous England Test captain.
Of course, the risk of such a strategy remains. But Ben Stokes continues to back his belief that taking the game deep gives his team every chance to win.
“The opposition is allowed to play well. This is international-level cricket, where the quality of players on either side are very good,” Stokes said. “We bowled pretty well on that first session. But India played incredible.”
In the end, however, England’s belief, calmness, and ruthless chasing mentality won them the game yet again. And Stokes’ controversial Day 1 decision turned into yet another Bazball masterclass.
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