Stokes special keeps England's Champions Trophy hopes alive
He combined with Chris Woakes in an England-record stand to rescue his team from 192 for 6 to 339 for 9
He combined with Chris Woakes in an England-record stand to rescue his team from 192 for 6 to 339 for 9
Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Ekanth & Andrew Miller
A case of too little too late but also better late than never as England finally get the job done. Netherlands, as Edwards said, have a few recurring issues which they'll have to address to win their last game and get a better shot at making the Champions Trophy. Anyway, it's New Zealand vs Sri Lanka at Bengaluru tomorrow. A win for New Zealand will put them in good stead for a semi-final spot. Pakistan and Afghanistan will hope for a no result or a Sri Lanka win as that'll boost their chances. See you for what could be an interesting day. Goodbye for now from me, Ekanth and my co-commentator, Andrew Miller, and our scorers, Thilak Ram and M Venkat Raghav.
Jos Buttler, England captain: We were desperate for the win. Malan got us off to a great start, wobble in the middle, Woakes and Stokes stand was fantastic. Anytime we want someone to take charge, Stokes does that. Delighted him to have him in the team in that situation. Very smart from him and Woakes. We thought 339 was a good score. Everyone said it was a good pitch. (Would they have changed their toss decisions in previous games) I think so. But we gotta play good cricket as well. We didn't play that well. Tosses have been interesting, maybe the pressure of this being a World Cup (had a say too). Runs on the board has done well, people who have won the toss haven't done as well either. Willey deserved more than the one wicket he got, both opening bowlers set the game well. Huge game in Kolkata, nice to have a game that means a lot after a disappointing tournament,
Scott Edwards, Netherlands captain: Disappointing. Didn't start well with the ball. Bowlers dragged it back well but they got away at the end. Same old story with the bat. Was a pretty good wicket, we tried a few things but they batted well. It's a balance when chasing, you have to get some runs in the powerplay but need wickets in the middle. We'll talk about it and figure out what to do better. We've been good in patches, gotta do it for longer. Will be an amazing atmosphere in Bengaluru, looking forward to it.
Zaid: "congrats to England but this is really worrying as a Pakistani fan"
Ben Stokes, POTM Happy to get back to winning more than getting a ton. It's been a tough World Cup. Was a nice wicket to bat on, just that there was a bit of tennis-ball bounce from a back of length. Tried to take it as deep as possible and then cash in. Woakes and I used the scoreboard and we had lots of time to work with. We built a nice partnership, it's amazing how quick you can catch up. Woakes is a genuine allrounder, he's been a great cricketer for the last two-three years, this showed why. (Upon being asked if he'd have left the camp after England were knocked out to sort out his body) No.
9:09pm England snap their five-game losing streak. It's come too late but Buttler's all smiles and Stokes looks happy too. They were clinical in the chase. Woakes and Willey found swing to dismiss O'Dowd and Ackermann early. Baressi was slow but picked up pace and Engelbrecht offered support but a mix-up between the two cut short a promising 54-run stand. Baressi, Engelbrecht, Edwards and Nidamanuru got starts but couldn't carry on. Moeen finally got his name among the wicket-takers charts, he cleared up the lower-middle order and tail with Adil Rashid for company. In the end, it was a comprehensive win.
Patrick: "Loving all of the even numbers in the world cup table"
PA van Meekeren st †Buttler b Ali 4 (3m 3b 1x4 0x6) SR: 133.33
Can Nidamanuru get fifty?
Slip and leg slip in with England all but there.
A Dutt b Rashid 1 (4m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 33.33
"Funnier things have happened" - Teja Nidamanuru optimistic after defeat to England sends the Netherlands bottom
He concedes he was "very frustrated" with his own form and hopes to "lead from the front" by making more runs going forward
"We're not playing for what we wanted to be playing for, but a really vital match for us in the grand scheme of things," the captain Jos Buttler said
He combined with Chris Woakes in an England-record stand to rescue his team from 192 for 6 to 339 for 9
What do Bangladesh, England, Netherlands and Sri Lanka need to do in their last World Cup fixtures?