Skipper Eoin Morgan hails Ben's heroic 84 not out and Super Oval contribution in England's maiden World Cup win
England's Ben Stokes during the World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday. Pic/AFP
London: Three years ago, on a hot and humid Sunday in Kolkata, Ben Stokes felt the "whole world had come down on him" after West Indies's Carlos Braithwaite smashed four consecutive sixes off the last over to snatch victory out of England's hand in the World T20 final in 2016.
ADVERTISEMENT
A chance to create history came back again and Stokes was not going to lose it this time. The circumstances were pretty similar here on Sunday as well, but this time, Stokes had a willow in his hands. Stokes played a major role in delivering for England their most beautiful moment in history with a maiden cricket World Cup triumph here at Lord's.
Morgan hailed Stokes's character for taking responsibility once again after the carnage he suffered at Eden Gardens. "I think a lot of careers would have been ended after what happened in Kolkata. Ben, on numerous occasions, has stood up individually and in a unit for us. He leads the way in training, in any team meeting we have and he's an incredible cricketer. And today, he's had a huge day out and obviously we are thankful for that," said Morgan.
Eoin Morgan
Stokes's task was to pull England out of the rut after being reduced to 86-4 in their chase of the 242-run target. His 84 not out did not take England over the line, but helped the hosts level with New Zealand's 241. He kicked his bat in anger when Mark Wood was run out while taking that second run.
Despite all this, Stokes once again came out to have another go with Jos Buttler in the Super Over. The southpaw contributed eight runs in England's 15 in the Super Over.
At the presentation ceremony, Stokes joked that he wasn't going to bowl the Super Over. He was apologetic to New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson after that deflection of his bat resulted in four runs in overthrow during the final over.
Morgan described Stokes's efforts no less than a superhuman, especially after going through hell in the last couple of years after the Bristol pub brawl incident. "To come through it is extraordinary. He's almost superhuman. He has really carried the team and our batting line-up. I know Jos and his partnership was extraordinary, but to bat the way he did in the lower order, I thought was incredible.
"The atmosphere, the emotion that was going through the whole game, he managed to deal with that in an extremely experienced manner," said Morgan. The England skipper hoped that Stokes's efforts will inspire the next generation. "Obviously, everybody watching at home will hopefully try and be the next Ben Stokes," he said.
Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
