OTD: Ben Stokes lion hearted effort takes England across the line against Australia Ashes 2019

The roar of Ben Stokes perhaps will never fade away. On August 25, 2019, Stokes accomplished an utmost difficult task to snatch a win in Leeds against their arch rivals, Australia. From losing all wickets for 67 runs in the first innings to then successfully chasing down a target of 359 in the final innings, these all happened in the match. The match will be remembered for ages because of Ben Stokes' heroics. 

Australian bowlers stunned the entire cricket nation when they folded England's first innings for only 67 runs in the first innings. Joe Denly (12) was the only batter for England who got an individual double-digit run in the innings. Josh Hazlewood got 5 wickets, 3 wickets for Pat Cummins, and a brace for James Pattinson.

The fresh track of Leeds heavily tested the Australian batting lineup too. Before England's batting collapse, Australia, in their first innings, registered only 179 for wickets. England's 10 wickets falling for 67 allowed Australia to take a healthy lead to claim the match. The track was still helping the pacers but started to decrease gradually as it was getting old. In the second innings, Marnus Labuschagne scored 80 runs, and multiple notable innings from his teammates took Australia to 246 before the dismissal of the 10th wicket. With those 246 runs and the first-innings lead, England got a target of 359 to win the match, which seemed beyond their reach at that point. 

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The echoing roar by Stokes 

After losing their openers early, then the captain of England, Joe Root, and Joe Denly got 77- and 55-run innings, respectively. Jonny Bairstow went for 36. After that, the matter went on the shoulders of Stokes. He faced 219 balls, watched other batters come and go, with a pair of tired legs, and scored a historic 135-run inning. The number 11 batter, Jack Leach, was somehow able to hang on with Stokes and face 17 balls.

In the meantime, Nathan Lyon missed an easy chance to run out Leach; if he managed to hit the bail, the match would be over, and Australia could win the match. But, it was the day for Stokes and England; despite all the endeavors, they emerged victorious with Ben Stokes as the best player of the match.