Ben Stokes' Belligerent Ton Rescues England

England vs Netherlands Match Report

Stokes' First World Cup Century Powers England to Victory

Ben Stokes' belligerent first World Cup hundred rescued England from a tricky spot against the Netherlands, as the all-rounder smashed his way to a match-winning 109 from just 89 balls in Pune on Wednesday. Chasing a modest target of 146, England were in trouble at 39 for 3 before Stokes took control.

Stokes' innings was a mixture of power-hitting and improvisation, as he regularly found the boundary with his trademark aerial shots. He put on a crucial 71-run partnership with captain Jos Buttler (32) to rebuild the innings, before accelerating in the latter stages.

With England still needing 35 runs to win from 27 balls, Stokes launched a six off pacer Paul van Meekeren to seal the victory with 14 balls to spare. The win keeps England's hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, while the Netherlands' tournament comes to an end.