England snaps five-match losing run at World Cup as Stokes belts century against the Netherlands
England snapped its five-match losing streak at the men’s Cricket World Cup, as a century by Ben Stokes set the tone for a 160-run victory over the Netherlands in Pune.
Key points:
- Stokes was player of the match with his innings of 108
- The Netherlands was all out for 179, chasing 340 for victory
- England is now seventh on the World Cup standings
The Dutch got off to a sluggish start chasing 340 as England reduced them to 5-104 midway through the innings before they eventually folded for 179 in 37.2 overs.
Wesley Barresi (37), Sybrand Engelbrecht (33), skipper Scott Edwards (38) and Teja Nidamanuru (41 not out) all got starts but the Netherlands was unable to keep the momentum going in the face of some superb spin bowling.
Adil Rashid claimed 3-54, while spin partner Moeen Ali bagged 3-42. Seamer David Willey chipped in with 2-19.
The win lifted England off the bottom to seventh in the 10-team standings with four points, above Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Dutch on net run rate. All teams now have a match remaining.
Stokes earlier hit an 84-ball 108 for his first World Cup ton.
Dawid Malan (87) and Chris Woakes (51) smashed half-centuries as beleaguered England’s batting clicked into gear again to amass a total of 9-339 in 50 overs at MCA Stadium.
“I’m more pleased for us to get a victory, to be honest,” said Stokes, who was named player of the match.
“It’s been a tough World Cup and it’s nice to get back on winning terms today.
“It was [a typical Pune pitch]. It was a nice wicket to bat on. The only thing was just on back of a length, a bit of tennis-ball bounce.
“I tried to take it deep as I possibly could and cash in at the end.”
The outgoing champions, who are chasing a top-eight finish to secure a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan, raced to 1-70 for their highest powerplay score in the event after Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bat.
Malan did much of the early damage, blasting 10 fours and two sixes and looked set for a big score before being run out due to a mix-up with Stokes, shortly after Joe Root (28) was bowled out in comical fashion attempting a reverse scoop.
The Dutch stemmed the flow of runs with wickets, removing Harry Brook and an out-of-form Buttler, but Stokes rode his luck after being dropped by Aryan Dutt on 41 and hit six fours and six sixes in a seventh-wicket stand of 129 with Woakes.
England added 124 in the last 10 overs to finish strongly.
The Netherlands dropped to 10th place but is still in the hunt for a Champions Trophy spot and face unbeaten India next in Bengaluru.
Reuters