Published: May 30, 2019, 10:56 PM (IST)
Edited: May 30, 2019, 10:56 PM (IST)
England allrounder Ben Stokes probably picked up the catch of the decade and proved the famous adage of ‘catches win matches’ when he stunned fans at The Oval in London after taking a stunning one-handed catch that dismissed South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo in the ICC World Cup 2019 opener on Thursday.
The incident rolled out in the 35th over of South Africa’s run-chase when Phehlukwayo tried to slog sweep Adil Rashid over mid-wicket, but Stokes timed his jump to perfection throwing himself backwards around the deep mid-wicket fence to pull off one of the greatest catches you will ever see.
The wicket left South Africa tottering at 180/7 in 34.1 overs. England finally crushed the Proteas by 104 runs to kickstart their campaign in a dominating fashion.
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) May 30, 2019
Earlier, after put into bat, the hosts made 311/8 that came on the back of a scintillating batting show from the man of the moment – Stokes – who top scored with 89. Jason Roy, Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan smashed half-centuries. South Africa were bundled out for 207 in 39.5 overs with pacer Jofra Archer emerging as the pick of the bowlers with three for 27 in seven overs.
The South African bowlers visibly missed the injured Dale Steyn, but put on a quality show in the second half of the innings to claw their way back into the game.
Spot the ball, featuring @root66 😂 https://t.co/m2Ngom5ckB
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) May 30, 2019
England next face Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on June 3, while South Africa who have a lot to ponder will square off with Bangladesh a day earlier on June 2.
