Since the nights start to draw in, another summer of cricket draws to a close departing England fans before it all starts again in New Zealand in November with the first of three winter trips.
One truth has to be acknowledged before trying to draw any conclusions though: this hasn’t been just another summer of cricket. It has been far more than this.
With a World Cup and also an Ashes series, it was likely to be a unique but what’s transpired within the past four weeks has now surpassed all expectations. Cricket has caught the imagination of the British public in a way not seen thanks to a selection of – in times scarcely un – minutes.
There have been innumerable to pick from, but it has narrowed down. Read on to discover that made the cut and vote for your favourite below.
When Jos Buttler strode out into the crease in the Ageas Bowl with a little under 15 overs of the England innings 28, the summer had barely begun. Pakistan were the resistance and under pressure they were with the hosts 211-3.
However, they could not have been prepared for what happened next as Buttler jumped to burst nine sixes on his way from only 50 balls – the second fastest hundred by the England batsman. Top of that list? Buttler vs Pakistan in 2015, that one was from 46 balls.
Having accepted 32 deliveries to achieve his half, Buttler afterward went ballistic because he travelled from 50 to 100 in only 18 balls with 36 of the runs coming in maximums. It is no more a surprise to watch him choose a bowling attack apart from such style, but it is always magnificent and over three weeks before the onset of the World Cupit was a reminder of the unbelievable power England had at their disposal and also just why they were going in as favourites.
May 30. Following the waiting was over and also the World Cup had arrived.
England had submitted 311-8 at The Oval and South Africa struggled in response, the hosts had impressed but the game lacked something to indicate the start of this tournament, a defining time.
Enter Ben Stokes – and Nasser Hussain…
“Oh! No way! No way! You can’t do this, but Ben Stokes!”
Andile Phehlukwayo observed expectantly to see that the ball sail and had slog-swept Adil Rashid. Rather, he appeared in disbelief with the rest of us like Stokes, five yards off the rope at deep midwicket, flung himself into the air and powered his right arm above his head to pluck the ball from the atmosphere for one of the finest catches the World Cup has ever seen.
The World Cup was well and truly under way and Stokes was that the name on everybody’s lip, maybe not to the final time in the summertime.
It was touch and go for some time – defeats for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia had abandoned his World Cup hopes hanging by a thread – but England were final. Australia had been vanquished in the semis and the New Zealand of Kane Williamson stood between them and World Cup glory.
As the Kiwis were limited at Lord’s to 241-8, all appeared to be going nicely, Chris Woakes together using three wickets apiece and Jofra Archer miserly at the death and Liam Plunkett overs to help keep the runs down. However, when Eoin Morgan departed of the chase with England 86-4 over from the 24th, the possibility of him raising the trophy seemed slim.
Half-centuries out of Stokes and Buttler retained England in the search but they needed 46 from 31 balls, if the latter fell. Stokes kept fighting, awarded a lifetime when Trent Boult stepped to the boundary cushion after grabbing the all-rounder, however, wickets tumbled and with four chunks 15 runs were needed.
The ball from Boult moved in the stands, the only later finally attracted as the ball thrown from the deflected off Stokes’ bat and hurried off into the weapon. It was three out of two, two out of one and if Mark Wood was run out from the chunk. Super Over.
Stokes mustered 15 from six balls and appeared again with Buttler for business. Then it was Archer. The superior border depend of england meant New Zealand demanded 16 to win. It was taken by A six from Jimmy Neesham down to seven. That became mirroring England’s equation just a couple of minutes previous, three from two, then two from one.
What happened next would be seared into England cricket fans’ mind forever. Archer into Martin Guptill, a yorker dug outside into the legside, Jason Roy tearing in and, together with Guptill turned to come back to the moment, launch the ball into Buttler, who gathered it and broke the stumps to win the World Cup for England -“by the barest of margins!”
No sooner had the World Cup trophy was raised by Morgan, focus turned to regain the urn. At Lord’s, England were again back before that though to try and overcome Ireland in a Test.
It did not go according to plan. Together with five of England’s World Cup winners in the XI, the home side were rolled out for 85. They clawed their way back into the game out of nightwatchman Jack Leach, surely the batting highlight of the left-hander’s summertime, and Ireland were left having 182 to win.
But a day that began with fantasies of a win in their first Test at Lord’s turned into a nightmare for Ireland. Their innings lasted just 15.4 overs as England tore them through, Woakes carrying 6-17 and Stuart Broad 4-19 – a great increase before taking on Australia.
Hundreds from Steve Smith had condemned England to a significant defeat at the Ashes opener at Edgbaston, a situation only made worse by an accident.
England had a bowler, also to galvanise both the group and the supporters although not just to replace Anderson. That man was Archer. The bowler was left from the very first Test since he recovered from a minor injury but was now fit, firing and ready to create his Test debut.
He needed to wait to get into the action though after rain washed out all daily one and a chunk of day twice as well. By day three’s end though, he had made his mark.
For more than one hour on Saturday afternoon England celebrity went toe-to-toe using the world Test batsman in a few of the funniest passages of drama Lord’s has ever observed. Archer bowling always over 90mph and was fired – his ball was clocked at 96mph – at one of the quickest spells by an England bowler in years.
In front of he was shaken by a painful blow to the forearm up, smith was up to your challenge. Clearly the former Australia captain carried on, carrying on the balls from Archer and amassing numerous bounds, albeit quite fortuitously on event.
Together with the crowd baying for blood of the Lord, the conflict came to a sudden ending when Smith struck using bouncer that was ferocious to the neck. Even the batsman struck the deck and then, despite his protestations, directed the pitch off by the Australia team doctor, concluding.
Slimming down with 73 runs needed to acquire. Having been bowled out to 67 on day two in Leedsa day which began with hopes of a listing run-chase turned to overlook for England. Australia needed only 1 wicket to keep the Ashes and it was certainly only a matter of time.
Jack Leach combined Stokes and so started an hour of the very nerve-shredding, extreme and, in which Stokes was worried, epic Ashes cricket you could wish to see. For much of it, the stress was so that you wouldn’t wish it on anyone, although in truth.
Stokes began hitting on him away for six months, and it went out of there. An astounding reverse slog-sweep flew in the stands to carry the mandatory runs down to greater than 50, ramping Pat Cummins for six got it down to 40 and from the end of the second more from Josh Hazlewood, the first few chunks of that went for 18, Stokes had his hundred and England needed 18.
Marcus Harris didn’t hold on to a challenging chance running from third person, Stokes hit on the two balls for four and unexpectedly England were nine off. Six more off Lyon, this 1 hanging in the air and draining off the long fielder from millimetres. Two to triumph, and that is if it really got interesting.
Stokes reverse sailed directly to backward point but Leach had begun charging down the pitch attempting to sneak one and that he was short of his ground as the throw came in to Lyon’s end, he needed to do was collect the ball and choose the bails however, strangely, he fumbled it. Next ball, Stokes went to sweep, missed and Australia went up as one. His head shook, without any reviews left although Australia was , it did not matter that ball-tracking showed it could have struck the stumps.
After carefully wiping his eyeglasses Leach took attack , still just two to triumph and proceeded to nudge for, levelling the scores from the procedure. Stokes thumped on another ball through the covers for four and Headingley erupted. A innings to haul England into the most amazing of wins.
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