England captain Ben Stokes' freakish innings on day 5 at Lord's might have gone in vain; however, it etched his name in the record books. Having struck 155 after coming at No.6, the 32-year-old all-rounder has the highest score in that position in the fourth innings of the Test match. Netizens also praised the all-rounder for rising up to the occasion.
The Durham all-rounder came into the crease under high pressure as England found themselves teetering at 45-4, with none of their top four firing. He weathered the storm through some patient gameplay on day four by stitching an unbeaten 68-run stand with Ben Duckett. Duckett enjoyed a lucky escape late on day 4 as Mitchell Starc's catch at fine leg was ruled not out, much to the dismay of the visitors.
Stokes started calmly on the final day at Lord's, surviving some close calls against Starc, but also putting the bad balls away. The southpaw went hammer and tongs against Cameron Green in the 57th over of the innings, smashing the towering cricketer for three consecutive sixes. The two sides headed out for lunch, with England needing 128 more, but Australia needing only four more scalps. Nevertheless, Stokes had his one eye on replicating the heroics of Headingley.
Josh Hazlewood gets rid of Ben Stokes:
Every bowler, including Australia's strike bowler Pat Cummins, copped a beating from Stokes. However, Hazlewood turned the match firmly in Australia's favour when Stokes top-edged one to backward point and Alex Carey ran in to take it. It also put an end to a 108-run stand between the England captain and Stuart Broad. Steve Smith and Pat Cummins also praised Stokes' effort with a pat on his back.
The last three wickets were mere formality as England were bundled out for 327 in the end. Steve Smith, who scored a 100 in the first innings, won the Player of the Match award.
Here's how the netizens reacted to Ben Stokes' innings:
