England captain Ben Stokes believes his side’s dynamic bowling unit and the Trent Bridge conditions are a perfect marriage following victory over Zimbabwe.
Stokes’ side, having racked up 565-6 declared in what turned out to be their only innings of the match, then bowled the tourists out twice, for 265 and 255, to complete an innings-and-45-run win.
The Three Lions are now unbeaten in their last four visits to West Bridgford, a run that stretches back to 2018, and Stokes credited his side’s varied skills in being instrumental in that.
“I think having a versatile bowling line-up does help,” Stokes said. “It’s genuinely a very, very good cricket wicket here, and it was again.
“When lads got in, it was hard to stop them scoring. It was a very fast outfield. The ball can go soft because the wicket is quite firm here.
“Having a varied attack is something that helps us here. I can throw the ball to anyone and ask for something different.
“We’ve got an off-spinner who’s controlled and who can take wickets at one end, and then a four-man seam attack who all have different skills and can complement each other.”
One man who calls this venue home came in for particular praise from Stokes, who credited his ability to slot straight back into the team despite a long spell out with injuries.
“Josh Tongue, for example, came in and worked in a great partnership when I asked him to, testing the Zimbabwean batters out with some short stuff,” said Stokes.
“Sam Cook will bowl a lot worse than that and get way more rewards on another week. Having a versatile bowling line-up definitely helps.”
Nottinghamshire’s other representative in the England team has, according to Stokes, been a revelation in recent summers.
“We had three special performances with the bat; three centurions. Ben [Duckett] at the top of the order, and Zak [Crawley], have just been formidable for us.
“I’m not sure what their overall record is as an opening pair, but I think it’s right up there with some of the great openers that we’ve had in the past.
“When they get going, they are just really, really hard to stop. The left-hand, right-hand, they complement each other very well.”
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