Twitter Reactions: Ben Stokes’ inhuman effort at Headingley keeps the Ashes alive for England

Another frantic, exciting and absorbing Test match vindicates why The Ashes is so highly rated in World cricket. An unexpected fightback from the English middle order, led by the one and only Ben Stokes helped the hosts script arguably one of the great wins ever in England’s Test history. The Ashes provided another classic, one which shall be remembered for a very long time.

Batting without their tallest figure was always going to be a tough ask for Australia, but David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne showed some grit in their third-wicket partnership after the fall of two early wickets. The duo did struggle on occasions against the aggressive pace and swing combination of the English bowlers, but they did complete their respective fifties.

After Archer dismissed Warner, the Aussie batting fell apart. Apart from Tim Paine, no one after Labuschagne got to double figures as England packed Australia for an underwhelming 179 runs.

What followed on the second day was even more dramatic, with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ripping apart England for fun. The duo terrorized their batsmen with metronomic accuracy, which saw England get bundled out for a paltry 67 runs. This gave the Aussies a priceless 112-run lead. Hazlewood returned with a five-fer for the Aussies.

Labuschagne continues to impress

Warner and the other top three batsmen faltered in the second innings, but Steve Smith‘s replacement Marnus Labuschagne didn’t. The 25-year-old stitched a couple of important partnerships with Matthew Wade and Travis Head en route to completing yet another half-century. Pattinson fought hard towards the end as well to help the side build on the lead they garnered.

Australia registered 246 runs in the second innings, which meant the English needed 359 runs to stay alive in the Ashes. With power and time to add, it seemed like the five-time champions will cakewalk through this game, but that wasn’t to be the case.

Stokes bats in God Mode

After losing the openers early again, England were in a huge spot of bother. But skipper Joe Root had other ideas and was well-determined to take this game deep. He built a good partnership with Joe Denly, one which kept England in the driver’s seat for a while. The duo added 126 runs for the third wicket and the partnership saw both batsmen complete their half-centuries.

But Josh Hazlewood had other ideas and struck a few quick blows. He first dismissed Denly and soon joined Lyon in the party, picking the big fish Joe Root. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals, but Ben Stokes at one end kept his head calm to keep England alive.

When Jofra Archer played a silly shot and got dismissed, everyone lost hope of England registering a comeback. But Ben Stokes, with outstanding support from Jack Leach, kept mustering runs at a brilliant pace. He completed his hundred and added 76 runs for the final wicket to pull off one of the finest comebacks ever in Test cricket history.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to a freak of an innings from Stokes: