England skipper Jos Buttler heaped praise on Ben Stokes after the latter scored a crucial knock of 108 runs against the Netherlands at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Wednesday. It has been a forgettable tournament for Three Lions and they once again found themselves in trouble at 192-6 while batting first.
However, it was England’s man for crisis – Ben Stokes – who once again got them out of the tricky situation. Stokes added an imperative alliance of 129 runs with Chris Woakes, who contributed 51.
Stokes took his time early in the innings but changed gears towards the end. The left-hander made the most of his experience to help England post a par score of 340 runs. Earlier in the innings, Dawid Malan gave a quick start to the defending champions as he scored a fine knock of 87 runs off just 74 balls.
On the other hand, the Netherlands was skittled out for 179 runs as they lost wickets at regular intervals. England’s spin twin of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid bagged three wickets each whereas David Willey snared two wickets.
Jos Buttler said in the post-match presentation, “Absolutely desperate for the win. Malan got us off to a flier. Partnership between Stokes and Woakes was fantastic. Anytime you need someone to stand up, he (Stokes) seems to be the guy to do that. Smart cricket between him and Woakes. Thought it was a good score. But everyone who batted said it was a good pitch.”
He added, “The toss – you got to play good cricket as well. Can look back and say might’ve done different but you have to play good cricket too. He’s a class cricketer (Woakes), been a brilliant performer for us. It was high-class swing bowling, deserved more than one wicket that he got. Huge game (Pakistan). At the end of a disappointing tournament, it means a lot.”
England haven’t been at their absolute best in the ongoing ODI showpiece but it was a much-needed win for the reigning champions.
England will play their last match of the World Cup 2023 against Pakistan and they will want to end their campaign on a high.
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