"We are living in Ben Stokes era"- Twitter goes gaga over Ben Stokes' unique field to dismiss Usman Khawaja on Day 3 of first Ashes Test

England skipper Ben Stokes had social media buzzing with his unique umbrella-field to centurion Usman Khawaja, resulting in the southpaw's dismissal on the very next delivery. Considering the benign Edgbaston pitch, Stokes had no slips in place and kept a ring of three fielders each on the off and leg side at catching positions.

The moment transpired on Day 3 of the first Ashes Test, with the Australian opener batting fluently on 141 off 320 deliveries and the team well-placed on 372-6 in 112 overs. Caught off-guard by the field placement, Khawaja charged down the wicket to Ollie Robinson, only to have his stumps rattled by a full-length delivery.

Khawaja's dismissal sparked a mini-Australian collapse, from 372-6 to being bowled out for 386, trailing the home team by seven runs at the end of their first innings.

Ben Stokes had also set creative fields for Steve Smith, including a leg slip and a leg gully, on Day 2 before eventually dismissing him off his own bowling for a meager 16 of 59 deliveries.

The 32-year-old has been instrumental in England's resurgence in Test cricket, leading them to 11 wins in their last 13 matches since taking over as full-time captain. His combination with head coach Brendon McCullum has witnessed the team playing fearless and attacking cricket with the bat while also trying innovative plans with the ball and in the field.

Twitter could not contain itself from praising Ben Stokes for his proactive captaincy, with many appreciating the all-rounder for bringing greater intrigue to Test cricket.

"The thinking was brilliant, the captaincy was brilliant" - Kumar Sangakkara on England skipper Ben Stokes

Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara was effusive in his praise for England skipper Ben Stokes for his captaincy, which helped restrict Australia in the first session on Day 3.

Starting the day off at 311-5 on the back of England's 393-8, Australia looked set to take a substantial first-innings lead at 372-6. However, some imaginative bowling and field placing by the hosts helped derail the Aussie innings.

England began their second innings with a slender seven-run lead and moved to 26-0 in the seventh over when rain stopped play.

Unfortunately for the hosts, their resumption from the break began on a sober note, losing two quick wickets under overcast conditions before rain intervened again to halt play for the day.

As things stand, England are currently 28-2 after 10.3 overs, with both openers back in the hut and first-innings centurion Joe Root and Ollie Pope at the crease.

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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