England skipper Jos Buttler hailed Ben Stokes for his match-winning century against the Netherlands to end their losing streak in the ongoing ODI World Cup in India. The Left-handed all-rounder played a pivotal role in the team’s victory over the Dutch in MCA, Pune.
Ben Stokes’ century was only the second individual hundred by an English player in the current championship. After winning the toss, bottom-of-the-table England was struggling to reach over 300, so his 108 came at a critical juncture for the team with the 2025 Champions Trophy qualification in Stakes.
Speaking at the post-match conference, Jos Buttler admitted that the team was desperate for victory in the tournament and commended Dawid Malan for his counterattacking knock at the top of the order with Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes stepping up for the team in the most crucial time and for being a player who sticks up for the team in difficult circumstance.
“We were absolutely desperate for the win. We got off to a great start, Malan got us off to a bit of a flier before we then hit a bit of a speed bump in the middle. But the partnership from Stokes and Woakes was fantastic.”
“Any time you need someone to stand up and take charge, Ben seems to be the guy to do that. We’re delighted to have him in the team out there for that situation. It was very smart cricket between him and Woakes to get us up to a really good score.” Jos Buttler said
The Left-handed all-rounder’s power hitting was particularly impressive; having reached fifty in 58 balls, he needed just 20 more balls to reach three figures. His unrelenting pressure on the leg side made the Netherlands lose their nerve and concede twenty extras in the game.
Ben Stokes led the charge for England’s victory with a fighting century in the match alongside Dawid Malan and Chris Woakes, who each scored a half-century, and provided him with excellent support. England won by 160 runs thanks to three wickets apiece from spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. England’s decisive victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday has propelled them to the seventh spot in the 2023 World Cup points table.
England’s position in the 2023 World Cup points table has increased from 10th to 7th. After eight games, they have four points in their account and the defending champions will look for another victory against Pakistan to seal their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
