Ben Stokes scores 51 & takes 1 wicket with pink ball on 2010 first-class debut: Watch

England cricketer Ben Stokes celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday. The southpaw is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket at the moment. The past couple of years have been brilliant for the Englishman as he has emerged as one of the biggest match-winners for England. Ben Stokes has been praised by the cricket pundits for his heroics recently.

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Ben Stokes played a massive role in England's triumph at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He was also instrumental in England's 2-2 draw in the Ashes 2019. Recently, the ICC honoured him with the 'Player of the Year' award. As Ben Stokes turns 29, here is a  look at his first-class debut in back in 2010, when he was aged around 19.

Ben Stokes debut: The southpaw shows brilliant character on debut with a gritty fifty

Ben Stokes made his first-class debut for Durham while playing against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) during the traditional season opener at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Not many know that Stokes' debut came in a pink-ball game, 5 years before it made its debut in international cricket during a Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide.

Durham won the toss and elected to bat first in a match which was going to be played with a pink ball. Their openers ensured that the team got off to a thrilling start as they posted a 181 run-opening stand. Ben Stokes came into bat at No. 6 after the team lost a few wickets quickly in between.

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The southpaw showed great character on his debut as he stitched an 81-run partnership with opener Kyle Coetzer to bring back the Durham innings on track. Ben Stokes was the aggressor in the partnership as he brought up his fifty with the help of five fours and one six. The Rajasthan Royals star eventually got out on 51 but not before ensuring that his team was on their way to a huge total. Durham posted 459/9 in their first innings.

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MCC's innings never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Their innings ended as they were bowled out for a paltry 162. Ben Stokes bagged one wicket of their captain Alex Gidman who was caught behind by gloveman Phil Mustard. Durham declared their second innings at 228/6 with Ben Stokes being trapped before the wicket for 7. 

MCC once again failed to score big as they were bowled out for 214 as Durham won the match by 311 runs. The match turned out to be a memorable one for Ben Stokes. And the world had seen a glimpse of a young boy who then went on to become one of the best all-rounders in world cricket.

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Here's the highlights of Ben Stokes' debut match

IMAGE COURTESY: ECB.CO.UK