Ben Stokes thrilled to reach three figures after failing to capitalise on starts in Ageas Bowl defeat

NICK FRIEND: The allrounder's 176 was the slowest of his ten Test centuries, as well as the first time he had faced 300 deliveries in a Test innings

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Ben Stokes was delighted to reach three figures on the second day of the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, having twice failed to capitalise on starts at the Ageas Bowl last week.

The allrounder, who stood in as captain in the first game of the three-match series, made scores of 43 and 46 in Southampton but could not make the most of the platforms he had built for himself.

In both innings, he was guilty of looking to premeditate and trying too much at the crease, with Jason Holder dismissing him on both occasions as England lost by four wickets.

Here, however, he was far more circumspect – his 176 was the slowest of his ten Test centuries, as well as the first time he had faced 300 deliveries in a Test innings. According to CricViz, he left more deliveries than any England batsman in a single knock since such statistics were first recorded.

“To be honest, I was more buzzing that I faced 300 balls than when I got the hundred,” he said after the close of play. “Something I never thought I’d be capable of doing, batting against 300 balls.

“It’s being aware of conditions and how the game’s being played. The more time you spend out in the middle, the more chance you give yourself of getting runs. Getting put into bat after losing the toss, to go on and get 450 as a team is amazing and we’ve managed to give ourselves a real chance of levelling this series.”

Stokes admitted that the team had spoken after last week’s loss about the importance of exploiting starts and turning useful contributions into match-changing scores. Across two innings at the Ageas Bowl, ten players made scores between 18 and 76, but none went on to three figures.

Dom Sibley set the tone in Manchester to change that, reaching his second Test hundred shortly before lunch during a 260-run partnership with Stokes, who arrived at three figures shortly after the interval, having been unbeaten on 99 when the break came.

“I feel like I’m at an age now and at an experience level now where I really understand my game pretty much all of the time,” he explained. “I’m trying not to get carried away with everything; obviously, an instinctive player is great at times but not getting too far ahead of myself. There are times in the past where I’ve let how I’m playing at a certain moment affect how me and think I can go out and play some big shots and it will all be all right.

“We spoke about that last week after the Ageas Bowl – being as clinical was we possibly can and if you’re the person out in the middle, just really making sure you go on and make it count. This week, there was a lot of that for me – being the man who’s going to make a difference with the bat.

“Obviously, there were two of us in these first three days with Sibbers, who played a fantastic knock. It’s great signs for us going forwards that all the noise around him after Southampton literally hasn’t affected him whatsoever. That’s a great way to respond to taking criticism that there was by going out and bagging a hundred, so all credit goes to Dom Sibley.”

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