ENG vs NZ: Ben Stokes scores delightful 'daddy' hundred, first since ODI comeback
Ben Stokes has been in sensational form since he made his return to ODI cricket.
England and New Zealand are currently playing the third ODI of a four-match series at Kennington Oval in London. The series is intriguingly poised at 1-1. The Kiwis won the toss and opted to bowl first. Their talismanic seamer Trent Boult once again got them off to a sensational start as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in his first couple of overs.
However, the left-handed duo of Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes combined to form an epic 199-run partnership off 165 balls to take the home side to a position of strength. Malan played second fiddle to Stokes, who took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners. England's Test captain got to his half-century off 44 balls. He took just 32 more deliveries to get to the three-figure mark. This was his fourth ODI century and also his fastest in the format.
Malan was watchful but he also played at a run-a-ball. He was well on course for his fifth ODI century but his knock ended on an unfortunate note when he tickled one through to the keeper while attempting a flick off Boult. The southpaw's innings ended on 96 off 95 balls.
Ben Stokes gets past 150
The hunger and zeal in Ben Stokes is not unknown to the cricketing world. After notching up his fourth ODI hundred, the star all-rounder didn't show any signs of complacency as he continued hitting the New Zealand bowlers all around the park. In the process, he scored his first 150-plus score (182 off 124 balls) in ODI cricket off just 106 balls. Notably, during his marathon knock, the southpaw smashed 15 boundaries and 9 sixes. His phenomenal knock propelled England to register one of their highest-ever score in their ODI history.
A half-century in the first ODI and this epic knock in the third game should give Stokes and England fans a lot of confidence with the 50-over World Cup less than a month away. The 32-year-old took a U-turn on his ODI retirement ahead of this series to play in the marquee event where England will look to retain their title.
Let's take a look at how 'X' users reacted to Ben Stokes' innings and his partnership with Dawid Malan:
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