Ben Stokes admitted his first reaction to hitting England’s highest one-day score was an apology to the man whose record he broke, Jason Roy.
Stokes smashed 182 as England romped to victory in the third ODI against New Zealand, with the entire touring side mustering just five more runs between them chasing 369.
For the 32-year-old Test captain the explosive innings was an thrilling vindication of his decision to come out of retirement and return to the fold ahead of next month’s World Cup defence in India.
As he smashed nine sixes and 15 fours over the course of 124 deliveries it was almost hard to imagine England going into battle without him.
But while head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler must have been thanking their lucky stars the middle-order match-winner was back in business, Stokes himself made a beeline for Roy.
The opening batter missed out on a planned comeback after a being laid low by back spasms, confining him to a watching brief as Stokes leapfrogged the 180 Roy made in Melbourne in 2018.
After more than five years in top spot, Roy was passing over the crown and smiled broadly as he clapped his team-mate’s achievement.
“I just apologised to Jase upstairs,” Stokes said.
“He said ‘well done’ and I said ‘sorry’. I don’t think there was too much to it. He’ll be pretty happy he’s seen one of his team-mates, who he’s played a lot of cricket with, take that off him.
“But individual stuff like that I’m not too fussed about. I didn’t really know I’d done it until the bloke on the tannoy started announcing it and then I got out next ball. It was his fault!”
While Stokes was not inclined to talk up his own efforts, he did admit to a sense of satisfaction at spending an extended period in the middle and setting his side on the path to a handsome victory.
The winning margin of 181, one run less than his own personal score, said the rest.
“It’s good to come back in after a while out and put a big contribution into us winning the game,” he said.
“I think today was good for me, to get familiarity again with how 50-over cricket goes. To get that game awareness, game smartness.
“There was a couple of times I had to check myself – I looked up and there was still 23, 24 overs left. That’s how one-day cricket goes, you can find yourself going pretty well and you want to keep going but you look up at the scoreboard and have to drag yourself back.”
Buttler was happy with the way England responded to an early double from Trent Boult, who dismissed Jonny Bairstow with the opening ball of the day and followed up by dismissing Joe Root cheaply.
“We were tested losing two early wickets but it’s exactly what I wanted us to do, take more risks, be more on the front foot,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special.
“Ben’s played a few good ones, but to make the highest one-day score for England, that was amazing.”
The game was over as a contest long before the end came, Chris Woakes taking three for 31 in a clinical new-ball burst alongside Reece Topley. The pair made up amply for the continued absence of Mark Wood and Adil Rashid from the bowling ranks, shutting down the Kiwis response early on.
“I was absolutely delighted with that, I haven’t seen as good new-ball bowling in white-ball cricket for a while,” said Buttler.
“It was a fantastic opening spell.”
The series concludes at Lord’s on Friday before the rivals meet again in the World Cup curtain-raiser in Ahmedabad just over two weeks later.
With that contest in mind, Kiwi coach Gary Stead noted drily: “I don’t mind watching Ben Stokes. I’d rather he scored his runs now than on October 5.”
CWI President congratulates St. Lucia Kings on historic maiden Republic Bank CPL title
Cricket West Indies President Dr. Kishore Shallow has extended congratulations to the Saint Lucia Kings for their remarkable achievement in securing their inaugural Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title.
In a thrilling final at the National Stadium in Providence, Guyana on Sunday, the Kings defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors by six wickets to claim their first-ever title at the third attempt.
“The Saint Lucia Kings have etched their names in history, and I commend their performance throughout the tournament which was an exhibition of relentless hard work and unmatched determination,” Dr. Shallow said in his commendation.
“With Aaron Jones and Roston Chase playing crucial innings at a decisive moment and Faf Du Plessis’ outstanding leadership, the Kings demonstrated the resilience and skill needed to succeed. This victory also reflects the tireless efforts of Head Coach Daren Sammy, whose knowledge and belief in the team have shaped their journey to this moment,” he added.
President Shallow further extended congratulations to Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and the people of Saint Lucia, who are in the midst of a period of remarkable national pride.
“This victory comes at an exciting time for Saint Lucia, which recently celebrated the homecoming of their Olympic gold medalist and the fastest woman in the world, Julien Alfred. Prime Minister Pierre and his nation have much to celebrate, and Saint Lucia’s sporting achievements are a source of pride for the entire Caribbean.”
The CWI President noted the impact of the emerging players in the tournament and highlighted the wealth of talent the Caribbean continues to produce.
“This edition of CPL stands out with the remarkable impact of the West Indies emerging stars. It has been a historic year with a record number of appearances by Emerging Players. With over 50 appearances and some impressive performances, the talent pool in the Caribbean remains exciting and surely augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket.”
Saint Lucia Kings featured former West Indies Under 19 captain Ackeem Auguste. Other impressive emerging players in the 2024 Republic Bank CPL were Shaqkere Parris for Trinbago Knight Riders and Jewel Andrew for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons who has just been selected for the West Indies Men's ODI team to tour Sri Lanka.
Cricket West Indies remains committed to the partnership with the Caribbean Premier League which continues to play a pivotal role in the advancement of regional cricket.
Mainoo one of three England players to pull out of Nations League squad
England have been dealt a triple injury blow before their Nations League matches, with Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ezri Konsa pulling out of the squad.
Earlier on Monday, the Three Lions were boosted by the confirmation that Harry Kane's injury against Eintracht Frankfurt was not serious, and he would be able to play a part in the October fixtures.
However, the trio did not arrive with the rest of the squad at St. George's Park, and Lee Carsley is not expected to call up any replacements.
Mainoo made his international debut earlier this year and has made 10 appearances for England, with one of those caps coming under Carsley against Ireland, but a knee injury that forced him off for Manchester United against Aston Villa will keep him out.
Konsa was also forced off in the second half of that match, having suffered a hamstring injury in the 0-0 draw.
Gibbs-White, who was handed his senior England debut by the manager last month, also sustained his issue on Sunday, in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. At under-21 level, the midfielder made 15 appearances under Carsley, with only six players featuring more under him.
England host Greece at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Helsinki to face Finland on Sunday.
Ireland salvage pride to avoid clean sweep against South Africa
Ireland avoided being on the wrong end of a series sweep with a stunning 69-run victory over South Africa in their final ODI.
South Africa won the series 2-1 but finished with a whimper as they struggled to get on the front foot against the attack-minded Irish on Monday.
Captain Paul Stirling spurred Ireland on their way to victory with his knock of 88, including 11 boundaries, before Harry Tector's enterprising 60 gave them a bigger edge.
Andrew Balbirnie (45), Curtis Campher (34) and Lorcan Tucker (26) also strengthened their grip on the encounter before Lizaad Williams found his footing for South Africa.
He finished with 4-56 after an impressive show in the death overs, which was their only positive in the field, as he helped stop Ireland at 284-9. However, the Proteas had given themselves a mountain to climb that only grew as they lost three early wickets.
Graham Hume (3-29) was the standout for Ireland, but Mark Adair (2-54) and Craig Young (3-40) also played their part, even as Jason Smith's 91 gave South Africa some hope.
Kyle Verreynne (38) and Tristan Stubbs (20) had helped steady the ship before that, but after Smith's stand was cut short, a late collapse ensured South Africa would fall short in the chase on 215 with 29 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Ireland finish on a high
Ireland pulled off a shock win in the second and final match in their T20I series against the Proteas last month, and once again ensured they would leave Abu Dhabi in high spirits.
Stirling and Balbirnie combined for their first 100-run partnership in an ODI, helping Ireland to their first-ever win over South Africa in the format.
Smith can leave with his head held high though - having been taken for a duck in his first ODI, he made a vast improvement with his 91 on Monday, getting nine fours and four sixes.
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