Ben Stokes hit a superb century as England boosted their beleaguered World Cup campaign with a 160-run victory over the Netherlands in Pune.
The defending champions’ hopes of progressing were already over but the result does improve their chances of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Stokes hit 108 from 84 balls, his fifth one-day international century but first at a World Cup, to rescue England’s batting line-up from more misery and drag them to 339-9.
Dawid Malan’s 87 gave England a platform at 133-1 before a collapse – Malan, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali were all out in quick succession – had them teetering at 192-6 in the 36th over.
But Stokes, crucially dropped at fine leg on 42, powered on from a steady start in a partnership of 129 from 81 balls with Chris Woakes, who made an important 51.
The Netherlands’ chase never got going after early blows by Chris Woakes and David Willey.
They were dismissed for 179 in 37.2 overs, with Willey taking 2-19, Moeen Ali 3-42 and Adil Rashid 3-54.
England’s second win in eight games lifts them from bottom of the table to seventh with one match to play – a meeting with Pakistan on Saturday.
They must finish in the top eight to make the Champions Trophy and, while victory in Kolkata would all but guarantee qualification, they could already have enough if other results go their way.
Defeat here mathematically ended the Netherlands’ chances of finishing in the top four and they face leaders India in their final game on Sunday.
Stokes will wonder why this innings, which in-cluded six fours and six sixes, could not have come sooner. England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals were effectively over long before Saturday’s defeat by Australia confirmed their elimination.
Their talisman is also set to undergo surgery on his long-standing knee problem next week and England will be desperately grateful he resisted calls to return home early.
They had never lost an ODI to the Netherlands but a shock looked not beyond possibility as wickets tumbled. After reaching fifty in 58 balls, Stokes took just 20 balls to get to three figures in another display of power-hitting, as the Test captain targeted the leg side and the Netherlands lost their discipline, conceding 20 extras in total.
Stokes, having survived a close lbw review where he was deemed to have got a faint inside edge, took 23 from 45th over, bowled by spinner Aryan Dutt, including a head-high full toss that was flicked for six before banging the subsequent free hit over long-on.
Stokes was eventually caught trying to hit out in the final over. The Netherlands are not the first team to struggle as he attacked and will not be the last.—APP
