In the modern era of cricket, Ben Stokes has emerged as one of the finest cricketers. He has proved his worth by performing spectacularly well on the biggest occasion. He has performed for England on the toughest of occasions when the team needed his great execution on the field. The story of redemption has been phenomenal for Ben Stokes.
It is inspiring how Stokes made a comeback in the mega event. England was all set to win the T20 World Cup final but the last over of Ben Stokes enabled a horror for the English side. It was certainly a sad evening for the English fans. Following the defeat against West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2016, Ben Stokes was done. It was the toughest moment of his career. But who knew that Ben Stokes is going to play the role of World Cup Hero.
T20 World Cup 2016
England vs West Indies was happening at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England was all set to win the final following the wickets of the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell. It was just the last over remaining. West Indies needed 19 runs to win the contest. The rookie Carlos Brathwaite was on the crease. The captain Eoin Morgan handed the ball to Ben Stokes to bowl the final over.
The Lions were ready to celebrate. Ben Stokes was going to become the World Cup final over hero subject to the fine bowling display in the last over. However, cricket is a game that is played until the last ball. Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes consecutively and won the game for his team. It was one of the most memorable victories in history. There were huge celebrations in the West Indies dugout.
Yes, the English team was down. The players were getting sad. But just imagine what Ben Stokes was going through at that time. He was down and was living a horrific dream. It requires a tremendous amount of determination to make comeback from that zone. It was a moment when the players decide to take a break. The boards could stop trusting the cricketers at that time. However, England cricket showed full support to Ben Stokes and invested in him because they knew that he has huge potential. The idea of England trusting Ben Stokes turned out to be right as he became a World Cup hero later on.
Ben Stokes World Cup Hero: ODI World Cup 2019
ODI World Cup is one of the hugest events in cricket. The best teams from around the world compete in the tremendous battle between bat and ball. England hosted the ODI World Cup 2019. Stokes was playing in the World Cup as the frontline player of the England side.
Rightly so, he demonstrated his command after taking a phenomenal catch in the opening match vs South Africa at The Oval. Yes, it was just the initial phase of the tournament but it seemed that Stokes took the best catch of the decade. It was just a wonderful job by Ben Stokes.
England vs New Zealand was scheduled at Lord’s which was the ODI World Cup 2019 final. New Zealand posted a total of 241 on the board. It was a below-par score according to modern-era standards. In modern-era cricket, the teams need to score at least 300+ on the board to put up a fight for the other side. If the side fails to score 300+ on the board, there is always a huge fear of the other team chasing the target. Modern-era cricket has evolved to the level that even 300+ totals are chased easily on flat decks.
In the case of 241, England was struggling as they lost four wickets before they reached the score of 100 runs on the board. The scoreboard pressure on the occasion of the ODI World Cup is huge. If the team loses quick wickets in such a big game, it could just affect the whole momentum. Ben Stokes was batting on the crease. He was just batting on the different crease. He was playing at Lord’s following the composing approach on the pitch. It is difficult to dismiss a cricketer of his caliber when he is playing with his full class on the crease.
Stoksey and Jos in World Cup 2019 Final
Jos Butter was providing full support to Ben Stokes in the ODI World Cup 2019 final. England built a partnership of 100+ on the board during the chase. Do you have an interest in cricket? ODI World Cup 2023 is approaching. The fixtures are not released yet.
However, you might want to know the schedule of the game whenever it is released. Do you want to know which venues will host the matches of the Ben Stokes team England in the mega event? If yes, then you could go to the best online cricket news sites in the United Kingdom to find out the numbers.
England was cruising towards victory. However, the host side started losing quick wickets and the thing turned out to be complex for the English side. It was the time when Ben Stokes could really turn out to be the World Cup hero on the biggest occasion. The way he was batting in the huge match was just brilliant. Despite the New Zealand cricketers bowling spectacularly well to restrict England from reaching the total, Ben Stokes 84* not-out guided England towards the controversial tie-game.
It all came down to the super over. England might have not reached that moment if Ben Stokes had not played the innings of 84 runs on the occasion of the ODI World Cup final. It is a rule in the super over that the team which was batting second in the match would come out to bat in the first innings during the super over.
Ben Stokes: The World Cup Hero in Super Over
The England dugout trusted Stokes again because of his phenomenal stint in the World Cup final. They sent Stokes on the crease. Kane Williamson gave the bowl to Trent bowl who is one of the best fast bowlers of modern-era cricket.
Stokes performed tremendously well on the occasion of the ODI World Cup 2019. He must have tired having played long innings in the final of the World Cup. He remained not out until the end. This was the moment for Stokes to keep up the momentum at the start of the beginning.
The match was reset. It all came down to Super over. The match was tied. The team which nails the occasion of Super Over would win the content. Trent Boult, who is one of the best bowlers of modern-era cricket, came down to bowl the over against Ben Stokes. There is no doubt that Stokes is a tough customer to bowl, especially when he is in his groove.
Ben Stokes was ready for the challenge for Trent Boult. It just did not matter who was the bowler for Ben Stokes that day. He was just seeing the opportunity moving around him. On the first ball of the over, Stokes scored three runs to start the Super Over on a high note. On the third ball of the over, Stokes hit a boundary to guide England toward the driving seat. It was a wonderful setting for the final three balls of the over.
On the next two balls, England scored 2 runs and did not score any boundary. Boult delivered the last ball of the over and Jos Buttler dispatched it for a four. England scored 15 runs in the Super Over vs New Zealand on the grandest occasion of the ODI World Cup final. Ben Stokes not only showed spectacular command on the field when he was batting in the second innings, but he batted greatly in the Super Over too.
Start of a Wonderful Chapter
New Zealand could not win the game in the Super which resulted in England winning the ODI World Cup 2019. This was the first WC win for England in history. It was a moment of joy for the English fans. It was the phenomenal story of redemption for Ben Stokes.
From down and out when he was responsible for the loss of England in the T20 World Cup 2016, to play a major role in the ODI World Cup win of England. This was a story to remember for English fans. Moreover, it paved the way for a new chapter in the life of Ben Stokes where he became the hero from a villain. What a wonderful story.
Ben Stokes: The World Cup Hero In T20 World Cup 2022
Pakistan has one of the most premium T20 bowling attacks in the world. The team has the services of the classic fast bowlers who demonstrate spectacular skill sets on the field. Pakistan did not post a challenging total on the board for England surely. In T20 cricket, a total of 137 runs is nothing.
However, Pakistan has the services of astonishing bowlers who perform tremendously well even if the total is not enough on the board. Pakistan managed to make a fine comeback in the T20 World Cup final. It was finally the moment to keep up the momentum after taking the wicket of Ben Stokes. Naseem Shah was bowling against Stokes and he was putting extreme pressure on the 2019 World Cup Hero.
Pakistan needed the significant wicket of Ben Stokes to make a comeback in the final. Stokes is the kind of player who can hit blistering shots to perform spectacularly well against any bowling attack in the world. The hard-hitting skills of Stokes are astonishing.
When Shaheen Afridi returned to the pavilion following the injury, Iftikhar came to bowl. It was the moment when Stokes decided to target the opportunity. He hit two consecutive boundaries against Iftikhar to guide the England side toward the driving seat on the occasion of the T20 World Cup final.
Those were some amazing shots following the tough time Stokes faced against Naseem Shah. Stokes shows great passion and composedness on the crease whenever he bats on a crucial occasion. Following the Ben Stokes: The World Cup Hero at Lord’s episode, the all-rounder shined again, that too at Melbourne Cricket Ground. England won the second T20 World Cup of their history.
Hero of Melbourne, Lord’s and Headingly
The special mention is of Ben Stokes’s heroics in the Headingley Test. Performance in the significant Ashes Test where England chased a mammoth total, Stokes played a significant role in the win of England. Stokes has performed amazingly well at Melbourne, Lord’s and Headingley. He has become the Test captain due to his phenomenal skillset which he possesses on the field. ODI World Cup 2023 is coming. It is time for Ben Stokes to restart from where he left off in the T20 World Cup 2016. It was Eden Gardens K0lkata where Stokes conceded 4 sixes in the final over.
What about a scintillating performance in the ODI World Cup in India which could help his side tremendously? There are a tremendous amount of expectations from Ben Stokes. If he keeps performing well, he could surely become a legend in cricket. There is no doubt that Ben Stokes is one of the best cricketers in modern-era cricket currently. Stokes winning another ODI World Cup could put him in the elite category of cricketers.
Are You Excited About The Event?
India will host the next World Cup which the World Cup hero Ben Stokes is going to play. Do you like to find out the fixtures of team England in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2022? When England will face the arch-rivals in Australia and what will be the venue? Are you interested in this information?
Undoubtedly, ODI World Cup is a huge event and there is tremendous excitement around the event. The best teams from around the world compete in the grandest battle between bat and ball. Stokes has proved to be one of the premium modern-era cricket and it would be really exciting performing him well in the upcoming mega event. He has experience playing Indian Premier League in India which would be a huge plus for him.
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