So what a joy it was to see Stone at full throttle in Chennai, proving his worth with just the third delivery of his second Test match – and first overseas. And that wicket was just rewards for a player who recently wondered if continuing to pursue being a pace bowler was ‘the right thing to do’ given his horrendous run of luck. But Stone instantly repaid Joe Root’s faith and, along with Jack Leach, was the pick of England’s bowlers on the first day of the second Test, even if his final figures of 1-42 off 15 overs did not quite do his efforts justice. It was telling Root turned to Stone for a solitary over before lunch, when he almost had Ajinkya Rahane caught at leg gully. He is never going to be England’s match-winner in subcontinent conditions, when the spinners bowl the bulk of the overs.

Source: The Nation February 13, 2021 13:07 UTC