AUS vs ENG: Ben Stokes nearly runs himself out amid chaos on final delivery of England's innings

England squared off against Australia for the final T20I of the series at the Manuka Oval on Friday, October 14. While the series has witnessed some high-quality cricket from both sides, England red-ball skipper Ben Stokes produced a moment right out of grade cricket on the final delivery of England's innings.

The visitors' batting innings was halted twice by rain, which eventually saw the game reduced to 12 overs per side. With the requirement of quick runs in the rain-marred affair, Ben Stokes flexed his muscles before producing a chaotic moment on the final delivery of the first innings. The southpaw lofted Glenn Maxwell's delivery straight over his head and started walking off thinking it was too good to be cut off by the fielders.

But the mercurial all-rounder had not timed it as well as he had thought and had to rush to the other end to steal a single. He slipped while completing the first run and was turned back by his skipper for the second run, only to survive a comical run-out. He walked off with a sheepish smile on his face after the drama of the final delivery.

Oh no Benjamin #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/IautaqnIsF

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 14, 2022

Moeen Ali backs Ben Stokes for the T20 World Cup

Stokes's quickfire 17 off just ten deliveries along with Jos Buttler's 65 off 41 ensured that England finished with 112 runs in their 12 overs. Earlier, there were some rumours of Stokes getting replaced by the recuperating Liam Livingstone for the impending T20 World Cup owing to the former's sluggish form in white-ball cricket. But his compatriot and fellow all-rounder Moeen Ali rubbished those talks by highlighting the Test skipper's value to the squad. 

"I don't care if Ben doesn't score any runs in the next couple of games because once the World Cup comes I'm sure he'll be fine. Even if he doesn't score runs he's a great player to have in your team. I think when the big games come he'll score runs and that's what you want from your gun players," Moeen Ali said on Thursday.