Ashes 4th Test: Fans hail Ben Stokes for 'fighting through pain' after twin 50s in Sydney

England allrounder Ben Stokes played a knock of 60 runs off 123 balls in the second batting innings of England in the fourth Test match of the Ashes 2021-22 series between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Day 5 of the match. This was the second half-century of the match after he scored 66 runs off 91 balls in England’s first batting innings. Having returned to competitive cricket with the Ashes series, Stokes proved his importance for the England batting unit. He showcased immense grit and determination in the fourth Test match while battling side issues as all other batters except Jonny Bairstow failed to get their innings going.

How did the fans react to Ben Stokes' knock?

Meanwhile, cricket fans on social media were elated on witnessing Stokes’ effort of scoring twin fifties at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A fan mentioned the knocks played by Stokes in the 4th Test and said he is always at his best against Australia. The fan also mentioned that Stokes batted under terrible pain and praised him for his gutsy knock. At the same time, fans also termed his knock as a champion’s display of resilience.

A look at the knocks played by Ben Stokes in both innings-

In England’s first batting innings, Stokes and Bairstow stitched together a partnership of 128 runs off 176 balls before getting lbw bowled by Lyon on the individual score of 66 runs. Bairstow went on to score his century and helped England reach the second innings total of 294 runs. Meanwhile, Australia scored 416/8 in the first innings of the match before scoring 265/6 in the third innings, setting a target of 388 runs for England. 

Chasing the fourth innings target, England started the final day of the match on 30/0 before getting reduced to 96/3 after the dismissals of openers Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, and Dawid Malan. Coming into bat at no. 5, Stokes and skipper Joe Root added 60 runs from 152 balls for the fourth wicket partnership before Root’s dismissal. Stokes went on to score his half-century off 107 balls while struggling with the side issues and the pain. He went back to the pavilion after scoring 60 individuals runs and at the time of writing this article, England are at 224/7 with Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach in the middle. 

(Image: AP)