"He left his ego aside" - Mohammad Kaif lauds Ben Stokes' century in England's 2023 World Cup win vs the Netherlands

Mohammad Kaif has lauded Ben Stokes for keeping his ego aside and scoring a century in England's 2023 World Cup league-stage clash against the Netherlands.

Stokes scored 108 runs off 84 deliveries as England set the Dutch a 340-run target in Pune on Wednesday. Their bowlers then bundled out Scott Edwards and company for 179 to complete a resounding 160-run win and keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy alive.

Reviewing the game on Star Sports, Kaif was asked about his thoughts on Ben Stokes' knock, to which he responded:

"He [Stokes] left his ego aside. If you talk about the Lucknow match, he was trying to do Bazball against Mohammed Shami, that he is a very big player and will play shots. He played 10 balls and got out for zero."

The former India cricketer praised the England Test skipper for taking a lesson from his dismissal against Mohammed Shami. He explained:

"Then he reached Ahmedabad. There he played 90 balls, gave respect, grinded it out, got his form, and scored a century today. So he learned from the embarrassment in Lucknow, that he has to respect good balls and the conditions."

Stokes was castled by Shami for a duck while trying to give himself room to play a big shot in England's clash against India. The left-handed batter then scored a sedate 90-ball 64 against Australia and followed it with a responsible century against the Netherlands.

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"He put in the effort at the start" - Mohammad Kaif on Ben Stokes' judicious shot selection

Ben Stokes reached his 50 off 58 deliveries. [P/C: AP]

Mohammad Kaif highlighted that Ben Stokes played conventional strokes at the start of his innings. He said:

"He did that today, played cautiously at the start, and took his time. He got gifts later, received full tosses, it was a free hit, you get that, but he put in the effort at the start. He spent time at the crease and played proper straight drives."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by observing that even the greatest players need to respect the game. He elaborated:

"He played proper cricketing shots and the unconventional shots came later. He reached his century with a reverse sweep. It shows that you might be a great player but cricket is bigger than you. You have to keep your head down and play, and he showed that by doing it in today's knock."

Stokes struck six fours and as many sixes during his innings. He added 129 runs with Chris Woakes (51 off 45) for the seventh wicket to ensure that England reached a formidable score after they were reduced to 192/6 at one stage.