Ben Stokes staged a heroic one man stand to lead England to a historic Ashes comeback at Headingley. The all rounder smashed an outstanding 135 off 219 balls to tie the series 1-1 in a victory that will go down as one of the greatest of all time. England won by a wicket, finishing at 362/9 after their embarrassing first innings total of 67. The last time a team won a match after a first innings score of less than 70 was 131 years ago.
Former Englad great Geoff Boycott said, 'We have seen some remarkable cricket moments in my life', but that is the best I’ve seen in over 50 years. Ben Stokes saved the Ashes and gave a magical inspirational innings. Even better than his World Cup performance. A performance so impressive that Graeme Swann declared he would be happy for his non-existent sister to tie the knot with the all-rounder. I have no sister but if I did I’d want her to marry Ben Stokes.
Having started his innings at a snail’s place, scoring three runs off his first 73 balls, Stokes blasted 74 runs off 45 in the company of Leach. The first man in Headingly to celebrate England’s victory — it took the crowd half a breath to realise he had hit the winnings runs — Stokes cut a more reflective figure in the dressing room as the realisation he had kept the series alive dawned on him.
