New Delhi: English all-rounder Ben Stokes recently announced his retirement from ODI cricket. He made this decision, as according to him he is not able to give his best to the format due to some issues with his body and the schedule that England cricket has ahead. He will be playing Test cricket, where he is now leading the national side, and also will be focusing on the T20 format.
Stokes, the hero for England that led his nation to the 2019 ICC Men’s World Cup victory, will play his final ODI game against South Africa in Chester-le-Street on July 19. In the wake of his retirement, take a look at the 5 best innings played by Stokes with his bat:
5. 102 vs Australia, 2017
This group stage game between Australia and England in the Champions Trophy, 2017, was an exciting thriller. Australia posted a score of 277 as Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and Travis Head posted a half-century each. In reply, England was 35/3, when Ben Stokes entered the stadium. He along with the former captain Eoin Morgan posted a partnership of 159 runs, which helped England seal the game.
Stokes scored a century while Morgan hit 87(81), and England won by the D/L method.
4. 71* vs Pakistan, 2019
Babar Azam scored a century, along with the fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez to give a target of 341 to England. England got a good start as Jason Roy and James Vince posted 94 runs for the first wicket. There was another great partnership between Roy and Joe Root and after the fall of the second wicket, England’s score stood 201/2. England was in a comfortable position, however, things started to turn in Pakistan’s favour from there on.
From 201/2 the score was 216/5, but Stokes stood there and scored runs along with the lower order. His 71*(64) balls wrote one of the most beautiful chases in the history of cricket.
3. 89 vs South Africa, 2019
Englishmen, batting first, were going great, but Stokes added another dimension to the innings. He scored a thrashing 89 off 79 balls with 9 fours in the inning. The 2019 World Cup was his stage surely.
He did not stop there, in the second inning, he took two wickets, got Pretorius run out and also took two catches. The game was all about Stokes that day. Eventually, England won the game by 104 runs.
2. 99 vs India, 2021
India, batting first, scored 336/6 as KL Rahul scored a century, Kohli hit a half-century and Rishabh Pant went cracking with a score of 77(40). England got a great start as Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow posted a 110-runs stand. Roy scored a fifty and Bairstow hit a century, but it was Stokes who had the major impact on the game. He scored 99 off just 52 balls, hitting 4 fours and 10 sixes.
When Stokes got out in the 36th over, England was in a winning position at 285/2. His impact can be known from the fact that in the next over Prasidh Krishna got Bairstow and Buttler out and England was 287/4, but they still managed to win the game. It is heartbreaking that Stokes could not score a century, but his inning was no less than one.
1. 84* vs New Zealand, 2019
It was the World Cup finals and the stage was set for Ben Stokes to go big. New Zealand batting first, posted a total of 241. It might seem a small total but in a World Cup final. it is enough to get a win.
When Stokes entered the field, his team was 71/3. He scored 84*(98) and posted a good partnership with Jos Buttler. And who can forget the overthrow six off his bat! Eventually, England also ended up scoring 241 and it was the time for a super over.
Buttler and Stokes came in to bat for England and scored 15 runs as Stokes hit 8* off 3 balls and Buttler hit 7* off 3. With Neesham’s 5 balls 13, the super over also ended tied, but it was England who won by the number of boundaries scored. This is how Stokes led England to their first World Cup victory.
