[Watch] “I apologized to him upstairs” - Ben Stokes has a cheeky reaction to breaking Jason Roy’s record

England all-rounder Ben Stokes cheekily commented that he apologized to Jason Roy after breaking the latter’s record for the highest individual score by an England batter in men’s ODIs.

Stokes hit a brilliant 182 off only 124 balls in the third one-dayer against New Zealand at the Kennington Oval in London on Wednesday, September 13. With his fine knock, the left-hander surpassed Roy’s record for most runs by an England batsman in an ODI innings. Roy had scored 180 off 151 balls against Australia in Melbourne in January 2018.

Stokes’ superb knock featured 15 fours and as many as nine sixes. Courtesy of his brilliance, England posted a massive 368 in 48.1 overs after being sent into bat by New Zealand at The Oval.

At the post-match presentation, Stokes, who was named Player of the Match, was asked for his reaction on breaking Roy’s record. He replied in a tongue-in-cheek manner and said:

“I apologized to him upstairs.”

On a serious note, the 32-year-old added the following about his innings:

“It felt good. Obviously, coming back into the team after a while. I’ve always said it’s nice to contribute towards winning games as well.”

While Stokes enjoyed batting on the surface, New Zealand were bowled out for 187 in 39 overs. The England all-rounder admitted that things got tougher for batters in the second innings.

“It was a good wicket. I think the conditions actually changed once the lights came on. I thought the ball was offering a lot. It was pretty obvious by the way that Woakesy and Topley bowled at the top. We spoke about putting New Zealand under a bit more pressure that we did in the first two games especially at the top,” he stated.

Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone claimed three wickets each for England with the ball, while Reece Topley picked up two.

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“Malan is a very consistent player” - Stokes

During the England innings, Stokes featured in a 199-run stand for the third wicket with David Malan (96 off 95). The latter hit 12 fours and a six before being caught down leg off Trent Boult’s bowling. Praising Malan, Stokes commented:

“Malan is a very consistent player; he is a very quality player. He comes in and everyone knows what he is about. He was unlucky to strangle one there down the leg side, but enjoyed batting with him. Not only did we take the boundaries, but we managed to rotate the strike as well.”

England and New Zealand will now meet in the fourth and final ODI of the series at Lord’s on Friday, September 15.