During Wednesday's clash at The Oval, Ben Stokes played a historic innings, scoring 182 to propel England to a formidable 368 against New Zealand. While Stokes was the star, Trent Boult played a vital role for the visitors, finishing with figures of 5/51. England's momentum was high at 348-5, but the tail crumbled rapidly, losing the final five wickets for only 20 runs. This followed a rocky start for the hosts, who found themselves struggling at 13/2 early in this third match of the series thanks to Boult's precision.
Ben Stokes hit the greatest one-day international score by an England batsman on Wednesday, blasting a blazing 182 as the hosts piled up 368 against New Zealand at The Oval. Fast bowler Trent Boult kept New Zealand in the game with an amazing return of 5/51 in 9.1 overs on either side of his incredible innings. When Stokes was dismissed, England was on track for a massive total of 348-5. However, they lost their final five wickets for 20 runs, with Boult finishing the innings with 11 balls to spare. England trailed 13/2 after Boult’s early double strike in the third of a four-match series.
Having recently returned to the ODI format to get ready for next month's World Cup in India, Stokes turned the game around in spectacular fashion. He spent 124 balls at the crease, hitting 15 fours and nine sixes to surpass Jason Roy's 180-run record from the 2018 Melbourne encounter.
Stokes, who had never previously scored more than 102 not out in ODIs, shared a productive 199-run partnership with Dawid Malan, who notched 96. This followed a chaotic start for England; with Jason Roy sidelined by a back spasm, the top order struggled. Boult struck early, forcing a mistake from Jonny Bairstow—caught by a brilliant effort from Devon Conway—and then cleaning up Joe Root for just 4 runs.
Dawid Malan played a stabilizing role, reaching a fifty in 52 balls as he fought to secure his spot in the final 15-man World Cup squad. Meanwhile, Stokes reached his milestone in just 44 balls, showing no fear against Lockie Ferguson's 94 mph pace by taking 15 runs off a single over, including three boundaries.
With Mitchell Santner out of the game, Stokes took full advantage of the New Zealand spinners. He was particularly aggressive toward Rachin Ravindra, hitting him for three huge sixes. As the weather cleared in south London, Stokes reached 150 by sending Glenn Phillips over midwicket for six. He eventually broke Jason Roy's record with a six off Ben Lister, but his luck ran out two balls later. This dismissal triggered a collapse from 348-5 to 368 all out. Ultimately, England's massive total proved too much, winning by 181 runs to lead the series 2-1.
Despite his incredible score, Stokes didn't quite reach Viv Richards' legendary world record for the highest ODI score by a player batting at four or lower. While Richards holds the crown with 189, Stokes now sits in second place, overtaking the likes of Kapil Dev, AB de Villiers, and Ross Taylor.