Watch: Ball ricochets off Ben Stokes’s bat against New Zealand at Lord’s in uncanny throwback to 2019 WC final

Watch: Ben Stokes inadvertently almost recreated an unforgettable moment from the 2019 World Cup as the ball ricocheted off his bat during the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

The 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s saw Stokes fortuitously earn a boundary after a ball thrown in by Martin Guptill bounced off Stokes’ bat before racing towards the fence. Stokes famously raised his hands in apology after the boundary reduced England’s target to from nine runs off three balls to three off two. England eventually won the final after the Super Over was tied and were handed the title due to scoring more boundaries across the game.

A similar moment occurred on Saturday, involving the same teams at the same venue, with Stokes in the thick of the action again. Striking batter Joe Root pulled a Trent Boult delivery to mid-wicket and called for a single. Stokes, who had run down the track, rushed back after it had been fielded but the ball bounced off his bat to mid-off. The two batters decided against the single, leading to amusement all around.

The similarities with the 2019 final were not lost on anyone as Boult, who also played in the 2019 final, walked up to Stokes before the pair shared a laugh. Stokes immediately raised his hands, just as he had done three years ago, as a gesture of apology, with Root following suit and raising his hands up in the air as well.

Simon Doull, the on-air commentator, also could not help but draw comparisons. “No, not Ben Stokes’ bat again. What is going on? We’re going to have a laugh about it. Why does he save that shot for Lord’s? Oh, they all know, they all know! Look at them, yeah, hands up, hands up. It just needs [Ian] Smithy, where is he?”