Watch: Ben Stokes smashed two successive sixes to bring up his 29th Test fifty en route to a blazing 108-ball 80 in yet another heroic Ashes innings on day two of the at Leeds.
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Stokes has 11 fifty-plus knocks against Australia, the last of which he scored on Friday (July 7), rescuing England from a precarious situation once more. After Australia made 263 in the first innings, the hosts were struggling at 68-4, when skipper Stokes walked out to bat.
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England kept losing regular wickets, leading Stokes to adopt a cautious approach. He was batting on 28 off 68 by the time England lost their eighth wicket, at 168, but was undeterred as he carried on and went on to play another memorable Ashes knock to narrow the margin of Australia’s lead.
Todd Murphy, who could have had Stokes on 45 if not for a dropped catch by Mitchell Starc, bore the brunt of his onslaught in the 49th over of the innings, with the scorecard reading 199-9. The first ball was sent straight down the ground, to bring up his fifty in 86 deliveries. The very next ball was tossed up by Murphy, and Stokes yet again dispatched it over the boundary as the deficit reduced to 52.
Two overs later, Stokes repeated the trick, smashing two successive sixes against Murphy yet again.
He made 52 runs in the last 40 balls that he faced, helping England post 237. Stokes also brought up his 6,000 Test runs during the innings.
Watch Ben Stokes’ sixes to bring up his fifty here:
Back-to-back SIXES! 🚀
Our captain.
Our Ben Stokes.🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | @IGcom pic.twitter.com/nGhVAZC6ij
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 7, 2023
