Ben Stokes delivered a record-breaking performance, complemented by strong displays from England’s bowlers, as they secured a comprehensive 181-run victory over New Zealand in the third ODI of the four-match series at The Oval. This win puts England ahead in the series at 2-1, with a single game remaining. Put to bat first by Kiwis, England was once again rocked by quick power-play wickets by Trent Boult, who dismissed Jonny Bairstow for a golden duck and Joe Root for just four, continuing the batter’s woeful run in ODIs. England was reduced to 13/2 and Stokes came to rebuild the innings at such a crucial point. He found a batting partner in an ever-consistent Dawid Malan, who guided the team through the remainder of the power-play, with 55/2 at the end of 10 overs. England reached the 100-run mark in 16.2 overs. Malan reached his fifth ODI fifty in 52 balls, with eight fours while Stokes reached his fifty in 44 balls. The duo reached their century stand in just 91 balls. Stokes after a point started dealing in sixes and duo reached 150-run partnership in just 119 balls, showcasing remarkable acceleration. 200 runs were up for England in 27 overs. Stokes reached his fourth ODI century in just 76 balls.
However, Malan missed out on his fifth ODI ton, dismissed by Boult for 96 in 95 balls after being caught by wicketkeeper Tom Latham. England was 212/3 in 30.1 overs. Skipper Jos Buttler joined Stokes and the duo continued with their carnage. Stokes reached his 150 in just 105 balls. Glenn Phillips ended the partnership worth 78 runs between the duo, dismissing Buttler for 38 off 24 balls, with six fours and a six. England was 290/4 in 37.5 overs. England reached the 300-run mark in 39.4 overs.
Ben Stokes’s incredible innings came to an end when he was dismissed by Ben Lister after scoring a record-breaking 182 runs off 124 balls, which included 15 fours and nine sixes. With this astonishing feat, he surpassed Jason Roy’s previous record of 180 to claim the highest individual ODI score by an England player. England’s total took a hit when Will Young took a catch at square leg, reducing them to 348/6 in 44.3 overs. Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran etc were dismissed quickly, bundling out England for 368 in 48.1 overs. Boult (5/51) was the pick of the bowlers for NZ. Lister (3/69) also bowled well. Lockie Ferguson, Phillips got one wicket each.
