In cricket, it is generally said that a good captain leads from the very front. Usually those captains are regarded as good ones who deliver with either bat or ball or with both. The good captaincy skill is just a bonus as afterall, a player is usually elevated to the post of captaincy because of his skills with bat and ball.
Perhaps this is why Ben Stokes was all over social media after leading England to a thumping win over Ireland in the one-off four-day Test at Lord’s. England warmed-up for the Ashes against Australia with a clinical performance as they continue their meteoric journey under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.
Ireland were absolutely no match for England as the hosts thumped them by 10 wickets. Ireland managed just 172 runs in the first innings with pacer Stuart Broad doing the bulk of the damage. The veteran pacer started yet another home season in a dominant fashion by taking 5 wickets while spinner Jack Leach accounted for 3 Irish wickets.
In reply, England declared their innings after scoring 524 for 4 in just 82.4 overs. Ollie Pope starred with the bat, scoring 205 off 208 balls while Ben Duckett scored 182 off just 178 balls. In the second innings, Ireland came up with a good performance thanks to fifties from Harry Tector, Andy McBrine and Mark Adair. They declared their innings on 362 for 9 before England scored 12 runs to clinch the match.
Ben Stokes’ unique record:
The match has helped Ben Stokes create a unique record. The England skipper has become the first captain in the history of Test cricket to win a game without contributing with bat, ball or wicketkeeper. While he did not get a chance to bat in the match, he decided against bowling due to the issue in his left knee.
Fortunately for him, he team did not need his services with the bat or ball to clinch the game. England, however, would be hoping that their skipper recovers soon ahead of the upcoming Ashes. Speaking after the game against Ireland, he said that he is “definitely on course” to bowl in the first Ashes Test, starting on June 16.
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