In a bizarre series of events, the England captain produced a rare moment on the field on the final day of play in the ongoing fifth Ashes 2023 Test match at The Oval as he dropped a catch from Steve Smith because he started celebrating the wicket too early.
Ben Stokes Dropped Steve Smith
With the game heading for a nail-biting finish, the England cricket team got the big wicket of Steve Smith on Moeen Ali’s bowling. He caught hold of the ball but while coming down, Ben Stokes’ hand hit his right knee and the ball slipped out.
After an initial no-out decision, Ben Stokes reviewed the call and the replays showed that he gloved the delivery into the hands of Stokes at leg slip to loud cheers from the crowd. However, Stokes celebrated too early and couldn’t take control of the ball. The third umpire, eventually, declared that the catch wasn’t clean and that it was a dropped attempt.
Because of the whole drama, Steve Smith got a new lifeline in the game.
The video of the incident has been going viral on the internet, watch it here:
Out or not out? 🤷♂️ #EnglandCricket| #Ashes pic.twitter.com/q2XCJuUpxM
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2023
Jofra Archer’s Old Tweet Went Viral
Social media has been buzzing with reactions from the fans, who were left shocked by the turn of events. From hilarious memes to jokes, fans are leaving no stone unturned to troll the England captain.
Meanwhile, an old tweet from England bowler Jofra Archer has resurfaced on social media after the Ben Stokes’ catch incident. Archer had tweeted in 2014 about Stokes fielding at leg slip. The tweet read: “Ben in slip K!lls me”
Check out the Tweet:
Talking about the ongoing game, the reprieve for Steve Smith by Ben Stokes helped Australia stay on top in their 384-run chase in the fifth Ashes Test. Australia reached 238-3 at lunch, with Steve Smith (40 off 61) and Travis Head (31 off 53) at the crease.
