Watch: Ben Stokes walks off after last ball, realises it's not a boundary, runs and falls

Ben Stokes was at the centre of a rather hilarious incident during the third T20I between Australia and England in Canberra on Friday.
 By CX Staff Writer Updated: Oct 14, 2022, 16:47 IST
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On-air commentators likened the sequence to ones from European Cricket.

In a rather funny incident, Ben Stokes assumed that he had middled the ball for a boundary and walked off, only to discover late that it would be fielded, and fell down while attempting runs in an afterthought. The incident occured on the final ball of the England innings in a rain-marred third T20I against hosts Australia at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Friday, October 14.

The match was reduced to 17-overs-a-side after the first rain interruption during the seventh over of the England innings, and was further down to 12-overs each after another break halfway after the ninth over. Stokes, who had walked in at No.4, smashed Glenn Maxwell for a six over mid-wicket right after the second break, and added quick runs with Jos Buttler in the final overs.

Up against Maxwell on the last ball of the innings, Stokes stood still and smashed a full-ball straight downtown, and started walking off assuming that he had struck a boundary, However, Steve Smith, stationed at long-off, sprinted across and got to the ball to fire the ball in. Stokes somehow managed a single, and tried to attempt for a second but had a fall in a funny sequence. He couldn’t believe his luck that the ball didn’t travel to the boundary, an outcome perhaps due to the slowness of the outfield as much as Smith’s brilliance.

Stokes smiled over the incident, and on-air commentators likened the sequence ones from European Cricket.

England would eventually finish 112/2 from 12 overs, with Buttler remaining unbeaten on 65* off 41 with seven fours and a six. Australia were set a revised DLS target of 130 in 12 overs.

Watch: Ben Stokes walks off after last ball, realises it's not a boundary, runs and falls

Australia got off to a dismal start in the chase, with skipper Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh falling to Chris Woakes in the first two balls of the innings. Maxwell, who walked in to open alongside Finch in David Warner’s absence, became Woakes third victim as the hosts stood at 18/3 from three overs at the time of writing.

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