SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 3 hrs 6 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Ben Stokes pays tribute to ill father after match-winning display

:Headline: Ben Stokes pays tribute to ill father after match-winning display: ID:385386: from db_amp
Ben Stokes led England to the 189-run win at Newlands.

Ben Stokes has revealed his recovering father Ged was on his mind as he carried England to a dramatic fifth-day victory over South Africa in Cape Town.

Stokes senior was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital in a critical condition ahead of the first Test in Centurion, having travelled to see his son take part in the Boxing Day Test, and is slowly recovering.

The England all-rounder has carried the burden throughout the first two matches of the series but, rather than weighing him down, it spurred him on to yet another memorable performance in the 189-run win at Newlands.

With South Africa showing seemingly endless reserves of grit and determination it was Stokes who stepped up to deliver the tourists the result they craved after five long days at the coal face, leaving just 50 deliveries to spare.

In the afterglow of becoming the first England captain to take down the Proteas at Newlands since Peter May in 1957, Root offered a similar assessment.

“It was a great game of cricket and a great advert for five-day Test cricket,” he said.

“I like five-day Test cricket, I’ll leave it at that or I’ll get in trouble.”

England’s joy was tempered by some bad news, with seam bowler James Anderson picking up a side injury which curtailed his involvement in the closing stages. He will be sent for scans, with Root admitting England did not yet know the extent of the problem.

England will also await the match referee’s verdict on an exchange between wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and Vernon Philander, with Buttler likely to find himself in the dock after the stump microphone picked up a colourful piece of sledging.

amp_article__385386 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-01-08 06:34:04:
html db last update - 2020-01-08 06:34:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ben Stokes

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Read more about Ben Stokes Ged Stokes Cricket
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .