BEN FIERY LIKE FREDDIE
Broad’s tribute to Stokes
BEN STOKES stepped up with the ball to help England close in on taking a 2-1 lead in the Test series with South Africa.
England return to The Oval today in pursuit of six more wickets.
And they have Stokes, a hero with the bat following his first-innings century, to thank that their task is a relative routine one.
Chasing a world record 492, Proteas pair Heino Kuhn and Hashim Amla were removed by Stuart Broad and Toby Roland-Jones before Stokes took centre stage.
Intimidating
The all-rounder dismissed Quinton de Kock and skipper Faf du Plessis, pinned in front offering no shot for the second time in the match, in successive balls.
Dean Elgar – given a life early on when dropped by Keaton Jennings – and Temba Bavuma combined to frustrate the hosts for the last 90 minutes.
But with only three teams having bat out the fifth day to save a Test from the same position, England will feel much of the hard work is done.
Broad claimed Stokes’ fiery spell proved as intimidating as Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff in his prime.
The paceman said: “When Stokes gets that ® sort of momentum, it’s great to see. He had the wind behind him, his tail was up and he bowled as quickly as I’ve seen him.
“From where I was that certainly felt very quick and the slips were pretty impressed, too.
“It felt like one of those intimidating spells that Flintoff used to bowl.
“He’s a better cricketer when he’s in a battle, when he’s fired-up – and I think the team are learning how to get him in that sort of mode more often.
“He’s such a great competitor to have on your team. If you can stoke him up so he gets in a battle, he has that steely, focused look about him.
“You want him batting or bowling in key moments. He certainly dragged the team with him there and we hope he can have another spell like it on the last day.”
England had the pleasurable task of moving to a position from which skipper Joe Root felt safe to declare on 313-8.
Although under-pressure opener Jennings (48) failed to make a telling contribution, there were half-centuries from debutant Tom Westley and Root.
Jonny Bairstow (63) also weighed in as England finally upped the ante before the home attack got to work on South Africa’s top order to close in on victory.