Ben Stokes has a decent outing in tour Match at Basseterre

England’s Ben Stokes had a decent outing in the tour match against the UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI in Basseterre as England prepared for their first match against West Indies in what is expected to be an interesting ODI series. The University of West Indies side was also something that had a lot of firepower in terms of batting acumen given the manner in which they played.

However, all eyes were on the Indian Premier League’s new star in the form of Ben Stokes who was marginally impressive with the bat. Batting on a flat and dry surface, the Brits simply had no qualms about mounting the runs as they slammed an impressive 379 in the first innings. This included a few massive whacks beyond the fence from the likes of Jason Roy and also Joe Root.

Skipper Eoin Morgan was denuded a century on the day as he was dismissed five runs adrift. Ben Stokes smashed an impressive 61 to lead the Brits to what was an impressive score, but the job was half done. Stokes was given the ball to see if he could do some damage. However, bowling his second over, the 26-year old was made to relive memories of the World T20 2016 when Carlos Brathwaite smashed him for a plethora of sixes in the final over.

Of course, Stokes got his man and the final wicket of the innings, but it came at a cost of 27 runs in the 11 deliveries he bowled. While this would not be too concerning, it would be highlighted in terms of the IPL, a tournament Stokes is about to play. Moreover, the pressure will be on him as well to live up to his price tag.

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