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TEST FORMAT THE WINNER IN DRAWN SERIES - STOKES

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ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes took his side’s agonising six-run loss to India on the chin at the Kia Oval, accepting a 2-2 draw was the right result for one of the hardest-fought series in memory.

Nearly seven weeks of intense battle, fierce rivalry and knife-edge cricket came to a fitting end on the final morning of the Test summer, with the tourists forcing through a remarkable win.

With England needing 35 to win with four wickets in hand for a mammoth chase of 374, they took the last four wickets for 28 runs in riotous scenes that instantly earned a place alongside the sport’s most cherished moments.

As the tension reached almost unbearable levels, Chris Woakes spent 16 excruciating minutes batting one-handed with a badly dislocated left shoulder.

Gus Atkinson protected him from facing a ball but was ultimately unable to protect his own stumps from the indomitable Mohammed Siraj, who etched his name in history with his third wicket of the morning, fifth of the innings and 23rd of the series. Stokes, who missed the fifth-Test decider with a shoulder injury of his own, hurt for his team but accepted the conclusion was deserved.

“The series as a whole has been pretty much toe to toe for 25 days. From a cricket fan’s point of view, 2-2 is probably fair,” he said.

“Two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other and left everything out there. We obviously would have loved to get a series win but it wasn’t meant to be.