Ranking Ben Stokes’ 5 best international innings
On Sunday, Ben Stokes played one of the greatest Test match innings as England pulled off a quite remarkable chase against Australia at Headingly, and kept the Ashes alive.
Stokes’ 135 not out led a record chase for England, as they reached 362, with just one wicket in hand. Crucial to the victory was the Durham all-rounder’s partnership with the number 11, Jack Leach, as the pair put on a 76-run partnership for the last wicket.
It completed a stunning turnaround for England, who were rolled over for just 67 in the first innings, leaving them 112 runs short of Australia’s first innings total. England’s chase looked to be in good shape with Joe Root and Joe Denly reaching 50, but a series of wickets after lunch on day four left them staring defeat in the face.
The innings helps cement Stokes as one of, if not the, finest all-rounders in world cricket. He was one of the players of the World Cup, and was the Man of the Match in the final against New Zealand for his innings that helped to take the game to a Super Over.
In represents an incredible turn of fortune for Stokes, who just two years ago missed the Ashes down under having been left out of the squad after an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol, a charge he was ultimately found not guilty of.
A year earlier, he was hit for four sixes in the final over of the World T20 by Carlos Brathwaite, as he failed to defend 19 runs in the final over.
But since then, Stokes has played some brilliant cricket for England. These are his five best innings in international cricket.
#5 120 v Australia, Perth, December 2013
The 2013/14 Ashes series Down Under was a bit of a disaster for England. They were hammered 5-0, and they would prove to be the final international games played by Kevin Pietersen, as he was sacked by the selectors. If there were any positives to come from the tour, it was the performances of Stokes, who had been picked for the Test side for the first time.
In the second innings of the third Test at Perth, England were set an almost impossible fourth innings target of 504 to win, after another all too familiar batting collapse. The top order folded once again, but Stokes, alongside Ian Bell, showed some fight. The all-rounder was happy to take on the short ball, and showed real character and temperament as he made 120, his first Test ton, and the only one England scored in that series.
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