London: A record-breaking knock by Ben Stokes coupled with solid performances by bowlers guided an all-round England to a 181-run win over New Zealand in the third ODI of the four-match series at The Oval on Wednesday. With this win, England leads the series 2-1, with one more game to go.
Put to bat first by Kiwis, England was once again rocked by quick powerplay wickets by Trent Boult, who dismissed Jonny Bairstow for a golden duck and Joe Root for just four, continuing the batter's woeful run in ODIs.
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How good was that?
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
The highest individual ODI score for England.
Enjoy every second of him.
We are so lucky to be witnessing this 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZfeFdwRmc0
">How good was that?
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023
The highest individual ODI score for England.
Enjoy every second of him.
We are so lucky to be witnessing this 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZfeFdwRmc0How good was that?
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023
The highest individual ODI score for England.
Enjoy every second of him.
We are so lucky to be witnessing this 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZfeFdwRmc0
England was reduced to 13/2 and Stokes came to rebuild the innings at such a crucial point. He found a batting partner in an ever-consistent Dawid Malan, who guided the team through the remainder of the powerplay, with 55/2 at the end of 10 overs.
England reached the 100-run mark in 16.2 overs. Malan reached his fifth ODI fifty in 52 balls, with eight fours while Stokes reached his fifty in 44 balls, with nine fours. The duo reached their century stand in just 91 balls.
Stokes after a point started dealing in sixes and the duo reached a 150-run partnership in just 119 balls, showcasing remarkable acceleration. 200 runs were up for England in 27 overs.
Also read: Stokes likely to undergo knee surgery post World Cup, could miss India Test series
Stokes reached his fourth ODI century in just 76 balls. However, Malan missed out on his fifth ODI ton, dismissed by Boult for 96 in 95 balls (12 fours and a six) after being caught by wicketkeeper Tom Latham. England was 212/3 in 30.1 overs.
Skipper Jos Buttler joined Stokes and the duo continued with their carnage. Stokes reached his 150 in just 105 balls. Glenn Phillips ended the partnership worth 78 runs between the duo, dismissing Buttler for 38 off 24 balls, with six fours and a six. England was 290/4 in 37.5 overs. England reached the 300-run mark in 39.4 overs.
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History-making 📝
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Record-breaking 💪
Unreal @benstokes38 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WlEGKnENhW
">History-making 📝
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023
Record-breaking 💪
Unreal @benstokes38 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WlEGKnENhWHistory-making 📝
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2023
Record-breaking 💪
Unreal @benstokes38 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WlEGKnENhW
Stokes was finally dismissed by Ben Lister for a record-breaking 182 off 124 balls, consisting of 15 fours and nine sixes. He went past Jason Roy (180) to register the highest ODI score by an England player. A catch by Will Young at square leg reduced England to 348/6 in 44.3 overs.
Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, etc. were dismissed quickly, bundling out England for 368 in 48.1 overs. Boult (5/51) was the pick of the bowlers for NZ. Lister (3/69) also bowled well. Lockie Ferguson and Phillips got one wicket each.
In the chase of 369, the England pace trio of Woakes, Reece Topley, and Sam Curran shook the Kiwi top-order as they could manage only 36/3 in the powerplay and had sunk to 70/5 in 17 overs. None of the top five batters could even touch 20 runs. (ANI)
Also read: Moeen Ali becomes the third England spinner to take 100 ODI wickets
