 "England vs Netherlands: Stokes' special ton, Root gets nutmegged and other top moments")
England ended their five-match losing streak with a 160-run win over Netherlands in their 2023 Cricket World Cup encounter on Wednesday. England, who are already out of the tournament, rode on knocks from Ben Stokes (108), Dawid Malan (87) and Chris Woakes (51) to put up 339 on the board after batting first. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table In reply, the Dutch were bundled out for 179, with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid picking three wickets each. There were a few moments during the game that caught the attention of many. Let’s take a look at some of those: Ben Stokes’ maiden World Cup century England all-rounder Ben Stokes finally got a moment to cherish in what has been a disastrous World Cup campaign for his side.
Stokes, who came out of ODI retirement in August, went on to amass a century against the Netherlands on Wednesday. It was not just another century for Stokes. Indeed, it was special, given the fact that this was Stokes’ first-ever century in a World Cup match. Stokes got to the milestone off 78 balls, before being dismissed for 108 in the final over. Scott Edwards’ one-handed six Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards has been a revelation for his team in the World Cup so far. He has scored two half-centuries, both coming in victories against South Africa and Bangladesh.
On Wednesday, Edwards was at his acrobatic best. In the 26th over of the chase, when Edwards was facing Adil Rashid, he came up with a one-handed slog sweep over midwicket for a maximum. It was a tossed up length ball from Rashid, and Edwards nailed the shot with ease. Dawid Malan mix-up Dawid Malan would go on to play a knock of 87, but the way he got out was following a terrible mix-up.
It was a tossed up ball from spinner Aryan Dutt, Malan pushed towards cover point and quickly set off for a single, but just as Stokes gave him the “go back” signal, Malan was already midway through his run and was run-out by the keeper at the strikers’ end. Joe Root’s scoop shot Joe Root may have managed just 28 runs against the Netherlands, but he sure did have his moments.
In the 14th over, while facing Paul van Meekeren, Root brought up his trademark reverse scoop. It was a length ball outside off, and Root’s presence of mind was on display as he would slightly duck on this occasion, bringing the lower part of his bat to guide the ball over the keeper’s head for four. Root’s nutmeg dismissal Sometimes, hitting your favourite shot during a game can become a force of habit. For Joe Root, the reverse sweep was his force of habit on Wednesday, so much so that it was that got him out against the Netherlands.
Impact Shorts
View AllIt was a back of a length ball from Logan van Beek, and Root was unable to time this reverse sweep well, only for van Beek to nutmeg Root. Maybe not for England’s supporters, but Root’s dismissal was a sight to behold for the Dutch fans, and to an extent, maybe the neutrals too.
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