CAPTAIN STOKES TO THE RESCUE

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Old Trafford, Manchester [August 25-29, 2022].

In the summer of 2022, the South African cricket team toured England to play 3 ODIs, 3 T20s and 3 Test matches. The ODI Series ended in a 1-1 draw, whereas the Proteas won the T20 Series 2-1. Moreover, the visitors also won the first test at Lord's, and when the teams reached Manchester for the second test, it was more of a do-or-die contest for the hosts. In a must-win game it was the South African captain, Dean Elgar, who won the toss, and he chose to bat first. 

The decision turned out to be a horrendous one, as the Proteas were bowled out for just 151 runs in their first innings. The duo of Broad and Anderson picked up 3 wickets each, as no South African batsman managed to get past even the 40-run mark.

In response the hosts were reeling at 147/5 when wicketkeeper batsman Ben Foakes joined Captain Stokes in the middle. The match was on a knife-edge. One more wicket and the Proteas would have got rid of the English tail in no time. But this is when Stokes played a captain's knock and took his team to a commanding position. Stokes, along with Foakes, stitched a partnership of 173 runs as he scored his first Test hundred as a captain. Interestingly, it was not a typical Ben Stokes knock, as it was slow and gritty. The captain faced a total of 163 deliveries for his 103-run knock. Moreover, in the process he hit 6 boundaries and 3 massive sixes. On the other end, Foakes too scored an incredible 113 of 217 deliveries as England declared at a total of 415/9. 

It was never going to be easy for the Proteas to get past the first-innings deficit of 264 runs. Moreover, the English bowlers made sure that there was no possibility of a comeback as they kept on picking wickets at regular intervals. The Proteas crumbled for just 179 runs in their second innings, thus handing the hosts a victory by an innings and 85 runs.  

Captain Stokes was awarded the Man of the Match for his all-round performance, as he scored a hundred with a bat and also picked up 4 wickets with the ball. The series was 1-1 as the teams now headed back to London for the final showdown.

 

To watch the Innings of Ben Stokes, Click Here.

To watch the Innings of Ben Foakes, Click Here.