ODI World Cup 2023: Ben Stokes delighted after match-winning knock in Pune, says 'pleased with victory'

Ben Stokes caught the eyes of the cricketing world on Wednesday (Nov 8) as he helped England beat the Netherlands in the ODI World Cup. The contest at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune saw England get the better of the Netherlands by 160 runs and take pole position in the race for automatic Champions Trophy 2025 qualification. Stokes scored 108, his first hundred in the 50-over tournament for the national side.

Stokes after win

“More pleased with the victory (than scoring a century), it has been a tough World Cup for us. It was a nice wicket to bat on, had some tennis-ball bounce. We (Woakes and himself) built a good partnership, whenever there was pressure building I had a look at the scoreboard and reminded myself there was a lot of time remaining (in the innings). Tried to take it deep and cash in later. He (Woakes) is a genuine all-rounder for us, he has been a great cricketer for England over the last 2-3 years and today he proved it,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation.

Stokes made a lasting impression with a 108-run knock to show his class in the contest against the Dutch. His innings consisted of 6 fours and the same number of sixes which saw England dominate with the bat. Courtesy of Stokes’s innings combined with Dawid Malan’s 87, England bought up 339/9 in their 50 overs. Chris Woakes also showcased his batting skills with 51 off 45 which proved important for them to cross the 300-run mark. Bas de Leede ended with figures of 74/3 while Aryan Dutt and Logan van Beek ended with two wickets each.

England at fluent best

Having set up a mammoth 340-run target, England bowlers were at their excellency with the ball and bowled out the opposition at 179 in 37.2 overs. Teja Nidamanuru was top-scored with 41 off 34 while there were starts for captain Scott Edwards (38), Wesley Barresi (37), and Sybrand Engelbrecht (33). However, their inability to convert the starts in big innings saw them collapse and hand England a valuable win in the match. The spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid ended with three wickets each while David Willey ended with two.

England will next take on 1992 champions Pakistan who are fighting for a place in the semifinal with the contest taking place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (Nov 11). Netherlands take on hosts India who have a top-place league finish that has already guaranteed them a semifinal berth.