Stokes rides his luck and earns degree of success for England
BEN STOKES smashed a quickfire half-century during England’s opening tour match against a University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI in his first competitive action since landing a £1.7million Indian Premier League deal.
The Durham all-rounder became the highest-paid overseas player in IPL history when he was recruited by Rising Pune Super Giants during Monday’s auction in Bangalore.
Stokes may have not looked like a millionaire when he was batting here, after all he was dropped on 18, 26 and 58.
However, his 61 from 53 balls, an innings which included five sixes and one four, perfectly illustrated his destructive capabilities with the bat as he helped England post 379 for eight.
Stokes will be crucial with both bat and ball during England’s Champions Trophy campaign.
There are just eight matches for Eoin Morgan’s team between now and then, the three-match ODI series against West Indies that starts in Antigua on Friday followed by two matches at home against Ireland in May and then three more against South Africa.
There will not be many easier opportunities before then to score runs than in this match against opposition that included six students and just one player in Chadwick Walton who has played international cricket.
So it was no surprise opener Jason Roy, Joe Root, in his first innings since being handed the England Test captaincy, and Morgan also registered halfcenturies.
England’s limited-overs captain fell for 95 when he was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Khary Pierre two overs after Root’s dismissal.
And although England’s run rate tailed off slightly towards the end, Stokes ensured the total got close to 400.
Stokes was also in the thick of the action in the field too, taking a catch to dismiss Anthony Alleyne as Steve Finn took two wickets in three balls to reduce the Vice Chancellor’s XI to 10 for two in the second over of their run chase.