Ben Stokes made a typically impactful return to bowling as England moved closer to victory over Zimbabwe on a second day at Trent Bridge which saw Sam Cook claim a maiden Test scalp and spinner Shoaib Bashir bag three morale-boosting wickets.

Zimbabwe opener Brian Bennett (139) hit his nation’s fastest Test ton, from 97 deliveries, as the tourists were bowled out for 265 in reply to England’s 565-5 declared – in which Ollie Pope top-scored with 171 – and asked to follow-on during an action-packed Friday.

Bennett was lbw to Gus Atkinson for one second time around before captain Craig Ervine (2) clipped Josh Tongue to Pope at short leg as as Zimbabwe closed on 30-2 to trail by 270, leaving England eyeing a win inside three days of this four-day fixture with Saturday’s previously sketchy forecast having cleared up somewhat.

Stokes (2-11), taking the ball for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in New Zealand in December, came on to bowl the final two deliveries of the 37th over after Bashir (3-62) had left the field with a bloodied finger sustained targeting a return catch.

The England captain should have struck with his first legal delivery – his opening effort was a no-ball – only for Joe Root to inexplicably drop Bennett on 89 at slip, leaving Stokes frustrated.

But the skipper broke through in his first two full overs, nicking off Sikandar Raza (7) with a peach that rose up and nipped away, and then castling Wessly Madhevere (0) with a nip-backer – Raza and Madhevere out in the space of 11 balls prior to tea, Zimbabwe 199-5.

Bashir – backed so much by Stokes despite not being first-choice spinner at Somerset and taking just two wickets at an average of 152 during a three-match loan spell at Glamorgan this spring – was also instrumental, removing Ervine (42) and then Tafadzwa Tsiga (22) with beauties and also forcing Sean Williams (25) to chop on.

Left-hander Ervine was caught at slip by Harry Brook from a ball that dipped and turned, before right-hander Tsiga was castled when Bashir ragged a crackerjack delivery between bat and pad.

Cook strikes against much-improved Zimbabwe

Cook (1-72), playing international cricket at last after hoovering up 321 wickets at an average below 20 in first-class cricket, made Bennett’s opening partner Ben Curran – the brother of England internationals Sam and Tom Curran – his first Test victim, finding the left-hander’s edge from around the wicket.

Zimbabwe were much improved from a listless opening day with the ball as they took three England wickets – Pope, Stokes (9) in the home skipper’s first bat in five months and Brook (58 off 50) – before Stokes declared 45 minutes into the morning.

That uptick with the ball came after stats revealed that, on day one, 30 per cent of the Zimbabwe seamers’ deliveries to England’s right-handers were to the right of middle stump.

Bennett then took up the mantle with the bat, hitting a slew of early boundaries, mainly off Cook, and 26 in total, before he was finally pouched by Pope at short leg off the bowling of Tongue – two overs after Pope’s jaw-dropping one-handed catch in the same spot, Bennett again the batter, had been chalked off after Tongue overstepped.

Zimbabwe ended the day set for a heavy defeat, but they did so with a lot to to be proud of, chiefly Bennett becoming the third man from the country, after Andy Flower and Murray Goodwin, to notch a Test hundred against England.

Earlier, England added 68 runs in 8.3 overs to their overnight 498-3 with Brook slamming three sixes, including one that took him to an 11th Test half-century, before his dismissal – bowled by the talented Blessing Muzarabani (3-143) – sparked the declaration.

Unless England get an unlikely second innings, and even if they do, Stokes – bounced out by Muzarabani after previously lacing the 6ft 8in seamer through the covers for four – may be tempted to play for the Lions against India A ahead of the Test series against India from June 20, with Durham’s only games until then in the Vitality Blast.

Stokes had promised to look after himself in the Zimbabwe Test and made good on that vow with his opening, game-breaking bowling spell only 3.2 overs, leaving Bashir, Tongue (1-56) and Atkinson (2-58) to combine for the final four wickets after tea.

England only required nine breakthroughs to bowl Zimbabwe out with Richard Ngarava unable to bat owing to a back injury sustained on the tourists’ chastening opening day in Nottingham.

Bashir feels ’10-foot tall’ in England Test team

England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, after his first-innings 3-62:

“I’ve really enjoyed being back. It’s always nice to put on an England shirt and walk out with the boys.

“I feel like I am very well backed here. I feel backed in county cricket too but England cricket is my happy place. I walk into this England team and feel 10-foot tall because of the backing I get.

“He [Stokes] gave me a ring and we had a nice conversation about where I was at. He said to just be ready for when England duty calls.

“For me, at the start of the season I am looking to bowl overs. I am still young and a developing spinner. The more I bowl, the more I gather experience and learn about my bowling, so that’s the focus of going out on loan.

“Obviously the results weren’t there and I would have liked for them to be but the main aim was to bowl overs.”

Watch day three of the one-off Test between England and Zimbabwe live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am on Saturday (11am first ball).