BEN AT WORK!
England’s dramatic ODI victory Stokes strikes and Wood f inishes job
BEN STOKES achieved the unique feat of a one-day international hundred after being dropped off the first TWO deliveries he faced.
And England can toast Big Ben’s heroics – and his Durham team-mate Mark Wood’s superlative last over, where South Africa needed just seven to level the Royal London series – with a drop of the hard stuff after a gripping two-run win at the Ageas Bowl.
With Chris Morris needing four off the last ball, Wood held his nerve magnificently and restricted the big-hitting Proteas all-rounder to just a single.
To defend 10 required off the last 10 balls on a flat pitch was a notable feat in its own right.
To do it without taking a wicket, and after Stokes had been restricted to bowling just three overs in the match, against the No.1-ranked one-day nation in the world, was incredible.
England captain Eoin Morgan admitted: “We needed to take wickets at the end so to win the game without taking any is unbelievable. I don’t know how to explain it.”
As if a thrilling finish wasn’t enough drama, South African skipper AB de Vi l l i e r s felt aggrieved after umpires Rob Bailey and Chris Gaffaney collared the tourists for allegedly changing the condition of the ball after 33 overs of England’s charge to 330-6.
Innocent
Asked if the umpires had accused South Africa of balltampering, De Villiers replied: “Yes – they felt the condition of the ball had changed and I was upset that we were being held responsible as a team.
“But no further steps were taken, there were no warnings, they didn’t change the ball and that tells me we were innocent... I think.”
Stokes, however, felt nothing but innocent as he flayed 101 off 79 balls here, but soreness in his left knee meant he will be sent for further scans today to investigate the nature of his injury. That’s a huge concern for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Coming to the crease at 80-3, Stokes edged his first ball, from spinner Keshav Maharaj, straight through the legs of Hashim Amla, and from his next delivery, found wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s handiwork was as assured as Mrs Doubtfire’s cookery when her oven gloves caught fire.
But Stokes grabbed his ton and along with solid support from Jos Buttler ( 65 not out) as England eventually plundered 330-6, with South Africa dropping six catches.
But when they came to bat – it looked good for the Proteas as De Kock anchored their pursuit of 331.
Even when he fell two runs short of a century it looked like victory was in the tourists’ grasp, only for Wood to come up trumps and bowl a last over yielding four singles and two dot balls.