"It's always him in these tough situations" - Fans react as Ben Stokes' 108 rescues England in ENG vs NED 2023 World Cup clash

Ben Stokes proved just why he remains an elite player under pressure as he vaulted England out of trouble with a stellar hundred in their 2023 World Cup clash against the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 8.

The defending champions, who are out of the race for the semifinals, were reeling at 192/6 despite a superb half-century from Dawid Malan that set the tone early on at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

Stokes then combined forces with Chris Woakes to stabilize the innings before both batters took off. The Test skipper had his moment of luck when he was put down by Aryan Dutt early on in his innings. But he made the most of it to whip up his fifth ODI hundred and first in the World Cup, taking just 78 deliveries to reach the landmark.

Fans lavished praise on Stokes for coming up clutch yet again when England were in desperate need of a revival.

Stokes ton powers England to 339 against the Netherlands in 2023 World Cup

Electing to bat first upon winning the toss, bottom-placed England got off to a flyer thanks to Malan's free-flowing half-century. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root failed to leave a mark again, and things went pear-shaped after Malan was run out for 87.

Harry Brook, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali fell in quick succession, and from 133/1, England soon sunk to 192/6. Chris Woakes gave Stokes the support he was after as the duo rebuilt the innings with regular strike rotation and kept the Dutch bowlers at bay.

Soon after, they took it up by a notch and got to their respective milestones, with Stokes reaching his century and Woakes compiling an excellent fifty of his own. A few late wickets couldn't stop England from posting 339/9, which is bound to take some chasing by the Netherlands, who are fighting to keep their extremely flimsy semifinal hopes alive.

England are eyeing their second win at the 2023 World Cup while also looking to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. The top seven teams at the end of the round-robin stage, besides hosts Pakistan, will qualify for the event.

Can England finally break their winless run at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!

About the author

Sooryanarayanan started off as a non-contracted text commentator at Sportskeeda 3 years ago and is today, the Cricket Commentary Manager. An MBA degree holder, a burning passion for the sport eventually led him to take it up professionally. He also writes insightful Feature pieces from time to time.

Sooryanarayanan sees cricket as a reflection of life’s ebbs and flows, and believes that the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy perfectly showcased it via the determination, courage and the never-give-up attitude displayed on field. He is a staunch Team India supporter and believes that the team has a very bright future. He admires MS Dhoni for how he approaches the sport and life as they come, being unfazed by both victory and defeat.

Sooryanarayanan tries to stick to facts and relies heavily on numerical data to present them. Keeping an objective and neutral view is one of his biggest reporting strengths, along with conducting thorough research and verifying all facts. His exploits in his field have led him to interview some star cricketers like Rovman Powell, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Peter Hatzoglou, and more.

When not immersed in Cricket, Sooryanarayanan loves to watch movies and web series, which helps him to focus better when he’s back to work.

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