Shami to Stokes: Ten balls from hell

That was the plea Ben Stokes made to "everyone watching cricket" in the Players' Tribune, eight days before this summer's Ashes. "The shot choice is only ever bad when it's out," he said. "You might try the same exact shot at another ball, catch it sweetly and it sails over the rope for a four or six, and then no one will say anything."

Stokes' analysis was clear. Cricket, he argued, is an outcome-oriented sport, where the difference between positivity and recklessness can be infinitesimally small. There is nothing more debilitating for a player than fear of getting out in the 'wrong' way. And dismissals are analysed in isolation, when they tend to be the product of everything that has come before.

What had come before Stokes walked out to bat on Sunday evening in Lucknow was: England were 30 for 2 in pursuit of 230, having just lost two wickets in as many balls to Jasprit Bumrah. Their bright start briefly sucked the life out of the crowd, but the wickets reinvigorated all 46,000 of them - of whom around 45,900 seemed to be wearing India's royal blue.

This was a slow pitch, one which had been used once already in this World Cup and proved demanding for batters on both sides. England's route to victory - one that would only be a consolation - was for one of their top order to bat for a prolonged period of time, as Rohit Sharma had done in the first innings, and hope that the dew made life tricky for India at the back end.

Bumrah's brilliance had already accounted for two of the top order: Dawid Malan and Joe Root. If England had any opportunity to score runs, any hope of maximising the five overs remaining before the field spread, it was against bowlers from the South End. With Mohammed Siraj struggling with his ankle, Mohammed Shami became Stokes' target.

For Shami, this was a simple game. England's seamers had shown that the most effective way to bowl with the new balls on this surface was by hitting a good length, and erring shorter rather than fuller. For the first time in the tournament, India's seamers were bowling with the new ball at dusk, when the ball seems to deviate even more; if not, perhaps batters struggle to read movement as well under floodlights.

Shami's first ball to Stokes pitched on a good length, and was left alone. His second was near-identical, and Stokes charged down the pitch, giving himself room to try and crash an early boundary through the off side. The ball nipped away off the seam, past Stokes' outside edge and into KL Rahul's gloves. Shami put his hands on his head.

Shami dragged his length back, just a fraction, and Stokes shaped to steer him away through point. He played and missed, inducing a grimace from Shami in his follow-through. The final ball of Shami's first over - Bairstow had flicked the first for two, then steered the second for a single - skidded into Stokes' pad as he shaped to work leg-side. Four balls, no runs.

Stokes watched from the non-striker's end as Bairstow played out a maiden from Bumrah: England's 30 for 0 after 4.4 overs had become 33 for 2 after seven. The outfield was covered in dew; a single boundary could be enough to prevent the ball from swinging. But Shami was relentless, refusing to budge from that good length.

The first ball of Shami's second over hardly moved, but shaped away just enough from around the wicket to beat Stokes' defence. And so Stokes decided it was time to take control: to the second, he skipped down again, flinging his bat at another good-length ball. He was shaping through extra cover, but found mid-off with a mistimed flash.

The charge down the track has become Stokes' default response in Test cricket, not least since he became captain. When it works, it can throw bowlers off their length, transfer pressure from one team to another, and turn the feel of a game altogether; when it doesn't, it can look impulsive and rash.

Stokes made contact with the third ball of Shami's over, punching to cover from a slightly shorter length, but not the fourth. Shami put his hands on his head as another immaculate, good-length ball angled in, seamed away, and beat Stokes on the outside edge. The fifth was Shami's only fuller ball to Stokes, targeting the stumps. He worked it calmly to mid-on.

Nine balls, nine dots, no runs. Five balls on a good length, three a fraction shorter and one a little fuller. One leave, two charges, three balls that connected with Stokes' bat. Fifteen balls since England last scored a run. 197 to win in 42.1 overs, eight wickets in hand. Six games, five defeats, two points. 32 nights since England's players left home, 14 more until they are finally put out of their misery.

Which of those numbers passed through Stokes' head when he made the calculation that the final ball of Shami's second over had to go? Maybe none; maybe so many that his mind was scrambled. Stokes planted his front foot outside leg stump, looking to make room to force the ball through the off side for four. The ball nipped in off the seam, skidded through off the pitch and clattered into his middle and leg stumps.

Shami punched the air and roared, along with the rest of a stadium with the size to overawe. Stokes trudged off, his contribution to England's World Cup since he reversed his ODI retirement reading 48 runs in three appearances, three catches, and no balls bowled. Pressure can create diamonds, and burst pipes. A bad shot? Perhaps that should be left for Stokes to decide.