CT 2017, Match 10, Australia v England: CT Player of the Match - Ben Stokes

Bangladesh might be a country that is often devastated by incessant rains and flash floods. The sight of rain whizzing down and the ground once again swaddled in tarps was however prodded dancing and partying across the nation of Bangladesh. Courtesy of the otherwise off-putting English rains, the Bangla Tigers had made their way into the last four for the first time in the ICC Champions Trophy. There will certainly be some loud celebrations on the wet streets of Edgbaston – watch out for people running in a frenzy draped with green and red flags.

Well, enough about Bangladesh – it’s well clear that they’re into the semis. But the question still stands, what exactly happened in Edgbaston that allowed them to roar into the last four? Australia were once again victimised by rain, the difference being they got to play at least three-fourths of the game this time. Hosts England, on the other hand, were yanked out of troubled waters by two reliable left-handers. Skipper Eoin Morgan was one of course, but the man who brought an end to Australia’s soggy CT campaign today was Ben Stokes.

The all-rounder did what he does best – come in when his team is reeling and play Captain Saviour if there ever was such a superhero. Oh, and don’t forget his knack of scoring hundreds in such match-saving efforts.

England falter early

With recurring scores of 300 as a backdrop, 278 wasn’t exactly the most challenging of totals, moreover one that came from a fiery Australian batting line-up. England, however, faltered upfront. The poor-form-parasite lingered onto its new host Jason Roy, as he departed right after smacking the first ball to the boundary. Alex Hales was the next man to go, with England looking wounded at 6/2. Joe Root’s departure in the 6th over would have certainly got the Australian sniffing a semi-final berth. Nevertheless, all possible fragrances of an Australian victory were driven away by a robust stand between Morgan and Stokes.

Ben Stokes versus fierce Australian pacers

The all-rounder took a particular liking towards Pat Cummins, as he smashed him for two boundaries in an over, and followed it up with another one that had three. Suddenly, he jumped from 3 off 5 to 38 off 28. Stokes then provided a dose of his disdain to another fierce paceman, Mitchell Starc. He tonked one off Starc beyond the rope at deep backward square to bring up his fifty.

Adam Zampa, despite having one of the best hairdos of the Champions Trophy, didn’t have the best answer to Stokes’ power. Shouts of ‘catch, catch’ were in vain as Stokes had bludgeoned one off the leggie comfortably over David Warner’s head at long-on.

A run-out broke the mammoth partnership between Stokes and Morgan, but the former maintained his rhythm at the crease. As he neared his hundred, Adam Zampa offered him a long-hop, which Stokes dutifully dispatched through the covers. Off came the helmet to reveal a jubilant Ben Stokes. England were powering to their target, and they were being powered by their crisis-man Ben Stokes.

Minutes later, rain decided to intervene and put an end to Australia’s visit to the United Kingdom. The match reached a sorry end, and DLS proclaimed England to have been 40 runs ahead of the par score. Hence, England had once again made a big statement about their white-ball capabilities with a thumping victory.

Their bright spot, Ben Stokes, had been making continuous amends to English cricket since his blotched final over in the World T20 final. As George Dobell rightly said, “You’d have to be an idiot of biblical proportions not to see what a special player Ben Stokes is at this stage.” And we at CricTracker would certainly be out of line to award the CT Player of the Match to anyone else other than Stokes.