Ben Stokes
Flickr photo by Ben Sutherland shared under a Creative Commons (BY 2.0) license.

Ben Stokes: Immortalised in World Cup history

Mustafa Ismail·
One Day International (ODI)
·0 Comments·

With his heroics in the 2019 ICC World Cup final, Ben Stokes filled a wholly apparent void in England’s trophy cabinet…

Just three years ago, Carlos Brathwaite smashed Ben Stokes for four sixes in the last over – allowing West Indies to claim the 2016 World T20 Championship. The heartbreak was inevitable for Stokes as he failed to defend 19 runs in the last over. Moreover, it led to another fruitless final for his country – reinforcing England’s torrid luck in ICC competitions.

To make matters worse, Stokes was involved in a brawl outside a bar in Bristol. Such misconduct led to a lengthy court case and a night in jail. It was evidently a dark time for England’s number one all-rounder. He was suffering on and off the field – but even so, his talent wasn’t being questioned. Finally, the court gave its verdict and Stokes was cleared to play for England again. Almost poetically, he returned with the intention of helping his country win the World Cup.

Stokes can turn a match around as a batsman, bowler, or fielder. He proved this in the first match of the World Cup, taking a stunning catch on the boundary against South Africa to get England’s campaign rolling. He earned the man of the match award for his all-round performance, having scored 89 runs and picked up two crucial wickets. The precedent was set and fans were overwhelmed with the belief that it could be England’s World Cup.

Much to everyone’s surprise, England suffered a string of defeats and found themselves on the verge of elimination. Ben Stokes, however, batted superbly even under such dire circumstances. Going into the World Cup final, Stokes had amassed scores of 89, 82, 89, and 79 – while also picking up seven wickets. It was all just an exhaustive warm-up for the biggest stage, where Stokes’ story would come full circle as a national hero.

On the day of the final, the score was 86-4 at Lord’s when Stokes walked out to join Jos Butler at the crease. England needed another 156 runs to be crowned champions – and it took the innings of the tournament to get them there. Ben Stokes buckled down and batted like his life depended on it. It was the perfect balance of attack and defence, with some impressive running between the wickets to complement it. This approach made sure he was there till the end – even if every dot ball was adding to the pressure on an increasingly two-paced pitch.

Both Stokes and Butler put on a 110 run partnership to keep England alive – but there was still a mountain to climb when Butler was dismissed. Stokes got stuck in while the wickets fell around him, finding the occasional boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking. When Trent Boult lost his balance and parried Stokes’ catch over the boundary, it felt like Englishman would have his day.

15 runs were needed off the last over and Stokes managed nothing off the first two balls. The pressure was mounting for England as they saw the World Cup slipping away – but Ben Stokes was unwilling to concede defeat. He slogged the third ball of the over for a six, bringing some relief to the crowd. Nonetheless, it was the next delivery that would prove definitive.

Stokes hit the fourth ball to deep mid-wicket and was scampering back for the second run when Martin Guptill’s throw deflected off his bat and ran straight to the boundary. In unbelievable fashion, England had notched six runs along the ground. With just 2 needed off the last ball, Stokes opted for the safer option and hit the ball down the ground for a quick-fire double. Unfortunately, Adil Rashid couldn’t make it back for the second run and a Super Over was called.

England sent out Stokes and Butler to bat again, with the former hitting 8 off 3 balls to give England 16 runs to defend. Luckily, Jofra Archer held his nerve while bowling and England managed to squeeze through on boundary count. They had Stokes to thank for that as well – given how frequently he managed to find the ropes during his innings.

Much like Andrew Flintoff in 2005, Ben Stokes had produced a career-defining performance in 2019. He’ll forever be remembered as the man who won England the World Cup. Controversies will no longer hinder his ability to act as a role model for youngsters across the world. His past struggles have made him mentally and physically stronger, and that growth was on full display. Stokes fought valiantly and came out victorious – in what was quite possibly the greatest cricket match of all time.