Published 21:10 IST, November 14th 2019
'He just couldn't shut up!': Ben Stokes outs Australian's distraction ploy in Ashes
Ben Stokes has revealed what motivated him to showcase a better performance in the third Ashes Test match at Headingley which England won by a wicket.
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Ben Stokes has been a valuable all-rounder and one of the backbones of the English side. Before lady luck smiled on him, Stokes had fought his demons in his personal life which almost had a severe impact on his career. The year 2019 has been a great one for the English all-rounder as his heroics with the bat helped England lift their maiden World Cup. He had once again come to England's rescue in the third Ashes Test against arch-rivals Australia at Leeds and played a stellar knock. However, Stokes has opened up about how he overcame Australia's old tactics.
Stokes on what kept him motivated
Ben Stokes' new book titled ‘On Fire’ was unveiled recently. In an extract published in a daily publication, Stokes said that while he was batting in the second innings of the Headingley Test match, the Australians had resorted to their age-old tactics of sledging and David Warner, in particular, was trying to play mind games with him. He then mentioned that it ended up motivating him to go on and win the contest for his side. Meanwhile, Stokes also went on to say that Warner did not shut for most of the time when the all-rounder was batting in the middle before adding that he could accept it from just about any other opponent but not from Warner.
Stokes registers an emphatic win for England
Chasing a huge target of 359, the Joe Root-led side seemed down and out and that is when Ben Stokes had resurrected the English hopes. He scored an outstanding century and stood firmly at one end while wickets continued to tumble from the other. His efforts paid off as his unbeaten 219-ball 135 helped England register a famous win by 1 wicket. This win helped England stage a comeback in the five-match series as the series came to life with a 1-1 scoreline. The series ended in a stalemate at 2-2 as the Aussies retained the 'Urn' because of them having won the previous edition in 2017/18.
18:20 IST, November 14th 2019