A typically well-paced century from Ben Stokes (108 off 84 balls), the all-rounder's maiden three-figure knock in World Cups and his 129-run stand with Chris Woakes (51 off 45 balls) took England to a strong total against Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday (November 8). A rollicking 74-ball 87 from Dawid Malan had put England en route for a big score but as has been the norm with them in the tournament, they nosedived from 133/1 to 192/6 before Stokes and Woakes combined to turn the tables.
On yet another good-looking batting surface at the MCA Stadium, England captain Jos Buttler chose to bat although the recent trend at the venue had a chasing bias to it. Malan's strokeplay and his effortless ease in timing the ball was on display in the first Powerplay even as Jonny Bairstow endured another failure in this World Cup. Netherlands' bowlers were erratic with the new ball and gave a lot of width to Malan on both sides. The left-hander took full toll as he raced away in the company of Joe Root who looked fidgety right through his stay. The fact that he got bowled off his patented reverse ramp shot sums up Root and England's fortunes at the moment.
Till that happened, the 85-run stand between Malan and Root had put England firmly on course for a bare minimum of 350 if not 375. Root's dismissal was soon followed by Malan who ran himself out to miss out on a well-deserved ton. Harry Brook and his skipper were both unable to get going as they felt due to the pressure created by Netherlands' bowlers. It was almost like both batters wanted to score too quickly from the get-go when in reality, getting in would have given them the chance to make up considerably at the back end. Stokes did just that in his trademark fashion as he soaked up the pressure from one end with aplomb.
Moeen Ali fell cheaply but Woakes hung in there with Stokes to steadily do the rebuilding job. That it is a very good track for strokemaking was evident from how briskly they started their partnership despite the match situation. Runs came at a good clip without many risks although Stokes was lucky to be dropped at fine leg, albeit a very tough chance. Once the left-hander got into his 60s, he switched gears and pounded the short boundaries comfortably. Woakes doesn't have the same powergame but he also dished out a few eye-catching strokes.
Netherlands' death bowling came back to haunt them once more. It was a deja vu of their contest against Australia where Glenn Maxwell had smashed the fastest World Cup century of all time. The seamers wilted under the onslaught and gave away far too many runs in the slog overs. 124 runs came in the final 60 deliveries and that's a monumental stat, given that a score in the 310-320 range would have had the Dutch quietly confident. Not that this score is a bridge too far but even with the batting friendly conditions and dew, it will take some doing.
Brief scores: England 339/9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 108, Dawid Malan 87, Chris Woakes 51; Bas de Leede 3-74) vs Netherlands
Source: Cricbuzz