5 Point approach: How Ben Stokes constructed his masterclass hundred

#2 Attacking at the start of the over

The Englishman went after the bowling at the start of the over

“We just tried to go big at the start of the over and cool it off,” is what Stokes replied when he was asked about his batting plan. This strategy of getting the big hits in the early part of the over is effective as it allows the batsman to play freely during the later stages of the over and also keeps the bowlers in pressure.

Stokes' strategy for different balls of the over

Balls of the over	Balls faced	Runs scored	Strike Rate	4’s	6’s
1st	8	21	262.50	2	1
2nd	9	31	344.44	2	3
3rd	7	15	214.28	1	1
4th	5	6	120	0	0
5th	7	17	242.85	1	1
6th	10	13	130	1	0

Stokes struck only three boundaries during the last three balls of the over; his strike rate during this period was 131.18, which is very low when compared with his strike rate of 279.16 during the first three balls of the over.