England posted a humongous 368 against New Zealand in the third ODI at the Kennington Oval, courtesy a belligerent 182 from Ben Stokes, and an equally significant 96 from Dawid Malan. Dawid Malan. When Jos Buttler arrived at the crease, the platform was beautifully set for him to go full monty. Joining forces with Stokes at 212-3 off 30 overs, Buttler picked up a slower ball from Trent Boult fairly early and dismissed it from his presence. He would go on to smack a quickfire 38 before England lost their last five wickets for 20 runs to end short of 400.
The early departure of Jonny Bairstow had pegged England back, and their worries compounded when Boult accounted for lynchpin Root in the next over. He acted too ambitiously, looking to drive on the up a length ball that slanted away. Root dragged it back off a thick inside edge onto the stumps as England lost two big wickets upfront.
England were in a pickle at 13/2 in the third ODI in London when Ben Stokes, the all-rounder tailor-made for crunch moments, embarked on the repair job along with Dawid Malan. He steadied the innings a bit before breaking the shackles as New Zealand conceded the advantage after a solid start.
BEN STOKES!
That's it. That's the caption. 😳 #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/T8xjw7T1jK
— FanCode (@FanCode) September 13, 2023
