Golden nugget
Root praises reluctant hero Stokes after Newlands heroics
ENGLAND captain Joe Root hailed the influence of “golden nugget” Ben Stokes, who put in a match-winning performance with bat, ball and in the field to seal the second test against South Africa by 189 runs at Newlands on Tuesday.
Stokes had bludgeoned 72 from 47 balls on the fourth day to provide the quick runs England needed to bowl South Africa out a second time, and then took the final three wickets just as it looked as though the hosts might hold out for a draw.
“He’s a golden nugget, isn’t he?” a beaming Root told reporters. “He is just a fantastic specimen. You put him in a lot of different situations and he just stands up to it.
“He’s a born match-winner who will always put the team first and give everything for the group of players he is playing alongside.
“He’s a fantastic example to a young squad of players, which we have got here.”
Root added that one of the all-rounder’s best traits is his desire to be the match-winner, be it with the bat, ball or the six catches he took in the test at slip.
“He puts himself in those situations, he puts his hand up and wants to be the one to win you the game,” the skipper said.
Stokes however felt undeserving of the man of the match award after Dom Sibley had notched a maiden Test hundred of 133 which put England in control and allowed the allrounder a platform from which to launch
“Dom Sibley, 500 minutes at the crease for 130 and really setting the game up for us, and the hard work to bowl them out for 220 and getting a 46-run lead, those things can get forgotten when you have a finish like today.
“Cricket is a team sport, it’s always a team effort and is never down to one individual. Everyone at some point has put their hand up and done something in the crucial moments.”
England levelled the fourmatch series at 1-1, with the third Test to start in Port Elizabeth on Jan 16.