Watch: Ben Stokes pulled Mitchell Starc with disdain, hitting him for a six to bring up his maiden World Cup 2023 fifty against Australia on November 4.
To bet on the World Cup with our Match Centre Partners bet365 head here.
England put Australia to bat first, restricting them to 286 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Although the semi-final berth seemed a far-fetched dream for the titleholders, England came into this match with their 2025 Champions Trophy place on the line.
In their hunt of gunning the target down, England lost Jonny Bairstow on the first ball and were reduced to 19-2, making way for Stokes at the crease.
Stokes scrambled his way to 46 off 70 deliveries at the end of 30 overs as he found it difficult to emulate his usual free-flowing nature. But he didn’t give in, deciding to curtail his aggression for the time being with occasional boundaries here and there.
He decided to cut loose while facing Starc in the next over. On the penultimate ball, Stokes lashed onto a short delivery from the left-arm seamer, pulling him over deep square leg in panache. The next moment, he raised his bat to acknowledge his first fifty in the tournament.
England were 168-5 when Stokes departed for 64 (90).
Watch Ben Stokes clobber Mitchell Starc for six
View this post on Instagram
