Buttler, Stokes keep India at bay

Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes frustrated India with an unbroken century stand as England at last showed some fight with the bat in the third Test at Trent Bridge yesterday.

India were on course for a colossal win when England slumped to 62 for four before lunch on the fourth day. But England, 2-0 up in this five-match series, had recovered to 173 for four at tea, with Buttler 67 not out and recalled all-rounder Stokes 42 not out. That still left England needing a further 348 runs to reach a huge target of 521.

The most any side has made to win in the fourth innings of a Test is the West Indies’ 418 for seven against Australia at St John’s Antigua, in 2003. But Buttler and Stokes’s stand, so far worth 111 runs, had at least helped England regain some self-respect by ensuring they got through a session without losing a wicket