England Test captain Ben Stokes played in his final ODI on Tuesday after making the shock announcement that he will retire from the 50-overs format after the first ODI against South Africa. Playing in his final ODI for the Three Lions Stokes won hearts with his heartfelt gesture as he gifted his last ODI cap to a young spectator seated in the stands.
England’s Barmy Army fan page shared a picture which showed Stokes gifting his autographed cap to a young lad, during the ODI series opener at Chester-le-Street’s Riverside Ground.
The all-rounder has been hailed for his sweet gesture, which surely would have made the young fan’s day.
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“A class act until the end @benstokes38 gave his final cap to this young lad as he walked off the pitch!” wrote the Barmy Army page on Twitter, while saluting Stokes for his final appearance in the 50 overs format.
A class act until the end @benstokes38 gave his final cap to this young lad as he walked off the pitch!#ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/MXzDx7EUaX
— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) July 19, 2022
Talking about the match, the Three Lions couldn’t give Stokes a final hurray as they succumbed to a 62-run defeat against South Africa.
A century from van der Dussen (134) and half-centuries from Janneman Malan (57) and Aiden Markram (77) helped Proteas post a total of 333/5 on the board in the first innings.
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Liam Livingstone, a part-time spin bowler was the pick of the bowlers with his 2/30. In chase of 334, England had a great start but after losing their top order, they started losing wickets more regularly.
Great contributions from Jason Roy (43), Jonny Bairstow (63) and Joe Root (86) laid the foundation for something big, but other batters could not carry forward with the momentum given to the hosts by these three. Nortje (4/53) ended the day as the best bowler for South Africa.
With inputs from ANI
