Watch: Flying Ben Stokes plucks a stunner to dismiss Hardik Pandya
Ben Stokes is widely regarded as one of the best fielders in world cricket. The England all-rounder was at it again during the fourth India vs England T20I, pulling off a stunning effort to dismiss Hardik Pandya.
BCCI uploaded a video of Ben Stokes’ unbelievable effort to their website as the dangerous Hardik Pandya departed for an eight-ball 11. You can watch the clip here.
Ben Stokes took the incredible catch on the second last ball of the 19th over. The all-rounder was fielding at wide mid-off when Hardik Pandya swatted a shot on the off-side. For a while it looked like the ball would breach the in-field and race away to the boundary, but Ben Stokes had other ideas.
The 29-year-old ran towards his left and timed his jump to perfection. Ben Stokes flung himself and held onto the catch with one hand. His athleticism was on full show, with the all-rounder making the catch look much easier than it was.
Ben Stokes' catch came at the perfect time for England, as it sent the dangerous Hardik Pandya back to the pavilion. The Indian all-rounder is a handful with the bat in the death overs and could have taken India’s total past 190 had he stayed at the crease.
England share behind the scenes video of Ben Stokes in practice
Moments after Ben Stokes took the catch, England Cricket took to social media to share a clip of Ben Stokes participating in fielding drills. Writing about how practice makes one perfect, they praised Ben Stokes for his prowess on the field.
The catch would have done Ben Stokes’ confidence a world of good. The all-rounder has struggled during the T20I series, failing to make a mark with both bat and ball.
But he performed well with the ball, ending with figures of 3-0-26-1. With England tasked with chasing 186 on Thursday, Ben Stokes will now hope to score some runs to help England win the series.