Cricket world rallies around shattered English star Ben Stokes

Cricket world rallies around shattered English star Ben Stokes
APRIL 4, 20161:45PM


Jai Bednall
news.com.au
@jaibednall


THE cricket world is wrapping its arms around shattered English star Ben Stokes, whose devastated reaction to conceding four sixes off the last four balls of the game will be the lasting image of the World T20 final.

Well, everyone except Marlon Samuels. The West Indian, who won man of the match honours for his 85 not out, was happy to take a swing at anyone after Carlos Brathwaite crushed the winning runs to give the West Indies a four-wicket win.
“Stokes is a nervous lad you know,” said Samuels. “I just told Brathwaite to just hold his pose and it would work in our favour.
“Stokes doesn’t learn, because they keep telling him do not speak to me because I’m going to perform. I didn’t even face a ball and he has so much to say to me, so I had to be there till the end. It is what I thrive on.”

England’s head coach Trevor Bayliss consoling Stokes.Source:Getty Images
Stokes was distraught after the match.
Stokes was distraught after the match.Source:Getty Images

Stokes also copped plenty of grief that isn’t worth repeating from keyboard warriors — but the emphatic support of his skipper and current and former cricketers is.

“It is not Ben’s fault,” said captain Eoin Morgan. “We’re all in this together as we have been from the start.
“I can’t fault anything we did with the ball and in the field, on the whole I’m very proud of my players. It is a cruel game.”

Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan were just some of the past English greats to put an arm around their fallen comrade.
@benstokes38 is still my hero !! @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/JC12MX5l39
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) April 3, 2016

2 things. England played very well to get here. And @benstokes38 is a superstar stop heaping s%&t on him. You have no idea what bowling 1/2
— Tim Bresnan (@timbresnan) April 3, 2016

2/2 the final over in a world cup final is like. The team as it is now will dominate world cricket for a long while. #believe
— Tim Bresnan (@timbresnan) April 3, 2016

Just a hiccup, @benstokes38! Happens to all great players who put their hands up under pressure! You are a STAR! Braithwaite take a bow! ??
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) April 3, 2016

Anyway gutted for the England boys but well played WI, very good one day side. Also @benstokes38 is an absolute superstar #simples
— Graham Onions (@BunnyOnions) April 3, 2016

The bravery is putting the ball in your hands to bowl the last over @benstokes38 ... #Respect
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) April 3, 2016

But it wasn’t just Englishmen moved by the Stokes tragedy.
Part of the learning curve @benstokes38 ..you'll still go on and become a great of the game in all formats #classispermanent
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) April 3, 2016

Congratulations to @westindies, incredible game of cricket. I feel for @benstokes38 he had to go through a tough finish, It's cricket....
— Saeed Ajmal (@REALsaeedajmal) April 3, 2016

U will have ups and downs in this game u have big balls @benstokes38 keep fighting u are a legend in my book ?????? pic.twitter.com/s8FqJIi5uQ
— Tino95 (@tinobest) April 3, 2016

Several cricket journalists were also motivated to put one bad over in context.

.@benstokes38 will end up as one of the greatest players in English history. Today will ultimate be a tiny footnote in his career #WT20Final
— Will Martin (@willmartin19) April 3, 2016

One person I really feel for is Ben Stokes. Brilliant player and game changer, he'll win plenty of important matches for England.
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) April 3, 2016

Ben Stokes is a star. He'll win dozens of games for England. Wouldn't change him.
— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) April 3, 2016

Stokes, who took three key wickets in the semi-final against New Zealand to help England qualify for the decider, was also all-class.
Overwhelmed by all the support of everyone after a disappointing last over.....So proud to of represented my country in a World Cup final...
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 3, 2016

To everyone who has supported us thank you very much you've been awesome...congrats to the West Indies on winning a great final
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 3, 2016

The Windies went into the last over needing 19 to win and with expert death bowler Stokes handed the ball, it looked like England would see out the win.

But Brathwaite held his nerve to fire the Windies to an unlikely four-wicket win with two balls to spare, leaving Stokes devastated on the field.
“To see Carlos play like that at his debut World Cup was just tremendous,” an emotional West Indies skipper Darren Sammy said afterwards.
Samuels anchored the West Indies’ run chase of 156 with an unbeaten 85, including nine boundaries and two sixes, after England had posted 155-9 in their 20 overs.

After being reduced to 11 for three, Samuels single-handedly kept the Caribbean team in the hunt with his 66-ball blitz.
Brathwaite finished on 34 not out off just 10 balls as the 2012 champions completed a hat-trick of titles after the women’s clinched their maiden trophy earlier on Sunday.

The Under-19 team had already lifted the youth World Cup in February. “Everybody in the West Indies is a champion,” beamed Sammy.

Joe Root and Ben Stokes react after losing the game.Source:Getty Images

The Windies also became the first team to lift the World T20 twice. England’s batting hero Joe Root had hit Windies hard with a double strike when he shared the new ball with David Willey to get the West Indies’ openers trudging back to the dug out.
Root struck on his first ball as Johnson Charles skied a catch to mid-wicket but the really big wicket came on the third delivery when Chris Gayle departed.

Gayle tried an ambitious slog after hitting a first-ball boundary but could only find the fielder at long-on to trigger wild celebrations in the English camp.
Willey then got semi-final star Lendl Simmons out leg before wicket for nought to leave the Windies tottering at 11 for three.

England's Ben Stokes is consoled by captain Eoin Morgan.Source:AFP

Samuels counterattacked by hitting Chris Jordan for three boundaries in the sixth and last over of the powerplay that cost England 16 runs.
Samuels, who was given an early life after wicketkeeper Jos Buttler grassed a caught behind, stitched a 75-run partnership with Dwayne Bravo (25) to help the Windies rebuild.
Willey turned up for his second spell with a double strike to hurt Windies’ hopes of reviving their chase as the asking-rate kept growing, but new man Brathwaite had other ideas.

Brathwaite managed an unbeaten 54-run stand with man-of-the-match Samuels to stun England.
“I can’t really express how much of a top knock (by Samuels) that was. We couldn’t turn back, it was a question of when not if,” said Brathwaite.

Eion Morgan consoles Stokes as the West Indies celebrate.Source:AFP

Bowling coach Curtly Ambrose was overjoyed. “We believe we can chase any target because we’ve got some real firepower,” said the fast bowling legend.
“We believe we can chase any target because we’ve got some real firepower.” Earlier West Indies’ bowlers justified captain Darren Sammy’s decision to field first as Samuel Badree and Andre Russell put England on the backfoot at only 23 for three in 4.4 overs.

Opening the attack for the Windies, leg-spinner Badree got Jason Roy clean out for a second ball duck and also accounted for struggling English skipper Eoin Morgan (5) in his third over.
Root (54), who struck his third half-century of the tournament, and Buttler (36) then came up with a fine rebuilding act to manage a 61-run fourth wicket partnership.

Medium-pacer Brathwaite got Buttler against the run of play when Bravo took a good catch at deep mid-wicket before celebrating with his customary ‘Champions’ dance.
Sammy soon cashed in on Bravo’s catch to bring him on to bowl and the medium-pacer obliged with two wickets in his second over.
England’s batting soon crumbled after Brathwaite got dangerman Root trudging back as a scoop shot turned out to be the in-form batsman’s undoing.

Braithwaite and Bravo shared three wickets apiece to hit England hard. David Willey’s late cameo of 21 was studded with a boundary and two sixes and to give the England total some respect.

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