England’s Ben Stokes hit an incredible 182 off only 124 balls, setting a new record for England’s highest one-day international score and leading England to a massive 181-run victory over New Zealand at The Kia Oval.
Stokes came in to bat with England at 13-2, after Trent Boult (5-51) had removed both Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root cheaply.
But Stokes, along with Dawid Malan (96), put on a 119-run partnership for the third wicket, rescuing the innings and reaching his century from just 76 balls.
He went on to break Jason Roy’s previous record of 180, striking nine sixes and 15 boundaries along the way. Despite a collapse of 6-36, England finished on 368 all out.
In response, New Zealand struggled to deal with the swing of Chris Woakes (3-31) and Reece Topley (2-31), losing five wickets for just 70 runs.
Only Glenn Phillips (72) offered any resistance as New Zealand were bowled out for 187. With this victory, England took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The two teams will meet again at Lord’s on Friday.
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Stokes’ record-breaking innings, his fourth hundred in 93 ODI innings, underlined his importance to England’s hopes of retaining their World Cup title in India next month.
Stokes, who retired from the ODI format last year due to a gruelling schedule, has returned to the team in style, scoring 52 in the first match of the series and now surpassing his previous best ODI knock of 102.
England captain Jos Buttler praised Stokes’ performance, stating that “he’s played a few good ones, but that was amazing.”
In addition, Malan’s impressive innings means that his place in the squad for the World Cup is also secure.
However, there are concerns over the fitness of opener Jason Roy, who missed the third ODI due to a back spasm, and the form of Joe Root, who has struggled in this series.
