WATCH: Ben Stokes pulls off a BLINDER, saves a certain six in Australia-England 2nd T20I
England and Australia locked horns with each other in the second and penultimate T20I on Wednesday (October 12) at the Manuka Oval, Canberra. With a 1-0 lead, Jos Buttler & Co. were asked to bat first by Aaron Finch’s Australia. Reeling at 53 for 4, it seemed the English innings won’t go anywhere before Dawid Malan’s 82, off 49 balls, and all-rounder Moeen Ali’s 27-ball 44 propelled the visitors to a competitive 178 for 7.
In reply, Australia were 22 for 2 but saw vital knocks from Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Pat Cummins before only managing 170 for 6 to lose by eight runs, and conceding the series 2-0 with one game to play. During the run-chase, Ben Stokes pulled off a blinder to save a certain six off Marsh’s willow.
The incident took place during the 12th over, bowled by Sam Curran. The younger Curran bowled a length delivery as Marsh went for the big shot. The ball reached Stokes, stationed at long-off, who managed to get a hand on it and then backflipped it to save a certain six. Here’s the video of Stokes’ brilliance on the field:
England were challenged throughout the match but the visitors stood tall in crunch situations to go past the Aussies by eight runs and earn an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, being played right before the T20 World Cup.
At the post-match presentation, Buttler said, “Really satisfying win. We showed great character. Malan played really well to anchor us to 178. Extra special for him. Curran enjoys the tough overs. He was brave enough to hit the leg stump. David is tough to bowl at. We needed to find a way out to get him out.”
Finch, on the other hand, stated, “Dropped a couple of chances after having them four down. Could have made it easier for us. David has been fantastic. He will get better the more he plays at the international level. We have luxury with the new ball as we have three world-class bowlers to pick from.”
