Toby rocks Proteas after Stokes ton
LONDON: Ben Stokes underlined his prowess as the rarest of allround talents with his glorious century propelling England to a challenging total of 353 on the second day of the third Test against South Africa at The Oval on Friday.
To cap a fine afternoon session for England, debutant pacer Toby Roland-Jones, who had earlier hit a run-a-ball 25, wreaked havoc with 4/39 that reduced South Africa to 126/8 at stumps.
Not for the first time, Stokes proved the scourge of the Proteas, smashing two consecutive sixes to take him to his fifth Test century. He also struck his next delivery over the ropes before being the last man out for 112 from 153 balls.
Alastair Cook had earlier missed out on a 31st Test hundred but with a magnificent counter-attack combining watchfulness and remarkable power, Stokes delivered the performance The Oval merited in its 100th Test. He could have miss out on his ton. Attempting to smashs pinner Keshav Mah araj, he miscued, allowing Faf du Plessis to catch him on the long-on boundary. However, the South African captain fell at the boundary, resulting in a six.