England’s swashbuckling all-rounder Ben Stokes played one of the most thrilling knocks of his career, in the first innings of the ongoing third Test match between England and South Africa.
On the occasion of The Oval’s 100th Test, Ben Stokes played the kind of innings England fans would have hoped for. It wasn’t the most fluent innings, but it’s surely one of the most effective.
When Ben Stokes came in to bat, England were in a spot of bother. But, the stylish all-rounder batted with a lot of patience and drove England forward by scoring his fifth Test hundred (112 off 153 balls). Stokes took some time initially when the going was tough, but as England kept losing wickets from the other end, he started opening up and smashed Proteas bowlers all-round the park.
After Alastair Cook batted brilliantly and held one end up, all eyes were on Ben Stokes because of his ability to change the situation of the Test in a matter of hours. Stokes is a very powerful hitter of the ball and the kind of player fans love to watch from the stadium.
There was a period of play when Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander troubled Stokes with the second new ball, but he kept his cool and kept absorbing all the good deliveries bowled by Proteas’ speedsters.
Stokes, however, was lucky to reach his hundred. South African captain Faf du Plessis dropped a simple catch on 91 and this allowed Stokes to re-gather his concentration and reach his 5th Test hundred.
Ben Stokes secured his fifth Test century in spectacular style with successive sixes off South Africa’s left-arm Keshav Maharaj, and this reminded us of former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag who smashed 6 on numerous occasions to reach a milestone. Watch Stokes’ brilliant hitting to reach his 5th Test hundred here:
VIDEO: Ben Stokes Reached His Hundred In Virender Sehwag’s Style
Featured image source: England Cricket
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