Stokes’ ton
ENGLAND TAKE LAST-BALL THRILLER
BEN Stokes once again demonstrated his star quality with his second one-day international hundred as England won a last-ball thriller by two runs to wrap up the Royal London Series against South Africa with an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Stokes cashed in on his remarkable early fortune as his century helped England set 330 for six at the Ageas Bowl.
Half-centuries from Quinton de Kock (98), David Miller (71no) and AB de Villiers (52), and some late big-hitting from Chris Morris, then took South Africa to the brink of a series-levelling victory.
But defending seven runs from the last over, Mark Wood held his nerve to restrict the tourists to 328 for five and spare England the bother of a series decider at Lord’s tomorrow.
Stokes, cleared to play here after a knee injury scare in the series opener, was dropped first and second ball before going on to equal his career-best 101, hitting 11 fours and three sixes from 79 balls.
There were some typically brutal blows among them – all a far cry from two tentative edges on the forwarddefence on nought and four, with ODI debutant spinner Keshav Maharaj the unlucky bowler.
On a day of six dropped catches by South Africa, it was Stokes who made them pay most heavily with his second one-day international hundred, along with Jos Buttler’s 46-ball 50 and telling runs too from Eoin Morgan.
After England had been put in under heavy cloud cover, Jason Roy’s lean run continued when he aimed across the line to Kagiso Rabada’s extra pace and was bowled off-stump by a full-length 93mph delivery.
Alex Hales had just been dropped at long-on off Maharaj when he edged an attempted cut behind to De Kock, standing up to Dwaine Pretorius’ medium-pace.
Joe Root batted with great confidence but was then cut off in his prime, run out backing up after Pretorious deflect- England’s Mark Wood appeals for a wicket during yesterday’s clash at the Ageas Bowl ed a straight drive on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Maharaj endured three off the dropped catches off his bowling, Stokes badly put down first by Hashim Amla at slip and then by De Kock.
Morgan lived dangerously too, escaping half-chances for caught-and-bowled by Pretorious and caught-behind off Andile Phehlukwayo on 16 and 22, and a direct hit from cover would have run him out on 24.
The fourth-wicket partnership was worth 95 by the time De Kock did gather a low catch off the returning Rabada in the 33rd over. Stokes completed his hundred with a scampered two, only to hole out at long-off soon afterwards, giving Maharaj a wicket at last in his final over.
Buttler (65no), who had a close umpire’s call for lbw on eight, went on to hit four of five fours in one over off Phehlukwayo as he and Moeen Ali took England’s predictable big finish to 111 in the last 10.
Stokes is box-office unmissable in all disciplines and, as England’s first change, immediately proved it again as soon as he got the ball in his hands.