England captain Eoin Morgan lauds Ben Stokes after all-rounder's 'full day out' inspires win


England captain Eoin Morgan lauds Ben Stokes after all-rounder's 'full day out' inspires win against South Africa

  • Eoin Morgan said: 'Ben Stokes had a full day out, it’s extremely entertaining'
  • England all-rounder hit crucial 89 in first innings to help England to 311 
  • He took two wickets and brilliant catch to bring the Oval crowd to their feet  
  • Faf du Plessis conceded: '‘The catch was brilliant. As good as it gets'

By Lawrence Booth for MailOnline

Published: 14:30 EDT, 30 May 2019 | Updated: 14:30 EDT, 30 May 2019

Ben Stokes enjoyed a ‘full day out’ as England got their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start with a 104-run demolition of South Africa at The Oval.

Stokes pulled off an early contender for the catch of the tournament, a one-handed stunner at deep midwicket to send back Andile Phehlukwayo – and later admitted he was cursing himself after going in too far from the ropes.

He also hit a crucial 89 in England’s total of 311 for eight, ran out Dwaine Pretorius from the boundary, and finished off South Africa’s innings for 207 with two wickets in two balls. The player of the match award was a gimme.

Ben Stokes (left) had a 'full day out' according to his captain Eoin Morgan (right)

Asked about the moment he thought he had misjudged the catch, Stokes replied: ‘I probably said “oh s***” about five times. But the crowd’s reaction behind me was pretty awesome – I just tried to take that in as much as I could.

‘I bowled the next over, and Morgs [Eoin Morgan] had to ask if everything was alright, if my heart rate had gone down – things like that catch do get you fizzed up. The crowd today were phenomenal, which is the best thing about having a home World Cup.’

Morgan, one of four half-centurions in the England innings, was effusive about his all-rounder, who had endured a quiet build-up to the tournament.

‘He ran in, stopped, and I thought it was way over his head,’ said the England captain. I’ve only seen a catch like that by AB de Villiers with Royal Challengers Bangalore. I don’t know how to describe it. It was unbelievable.

Stokes took a blinding catch one-handed over his head in a truly memorable day for him

‘He’s had a full day out, and when he does, it’s extremely entertaining. It’s great for the game. We see him do it in training all the time and you just shake your head at it. It doesn’t happen every day. Today, his all-round game was on, and that’s great for us at the start of the tournament. It shows he’s right on top of his game.

The South Africans, who had threatened to make life uncomfortable for England when Quinton de Kock took them to 129 for two, were scarcely less complimentary.

‘He’s a three-in-one cricketer, Stokesy,’ said their captain Faf du Plessis. ‘It’s why England is such a good team: they have a lot of all-rounders who play a part. That’s their strength. They bat so long.

‘The catch was brilliant. It’s as good as it gets. I appreciate the skill that goes into that. I’ve played with him before, and I know he practises his fielding hard. It’s no fluke when it comes to taking a catch like that.’

Faf du Plessis admitted that he could appreciate the skill of Stokes' one-handed grab

 

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England captain Eoin Morgan lauds Ben Stokes after all-rounder's 'full day out' inspires win



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