Sunday 12 April 2020 12:43, UK
Following Saturday's Ashes Rewind on Sky Sports, we bring you the best reaction to Ben Stokes' Headingley heroics in the third Test last August from the day it happened...
Ben Stokes wrote his name into Ashes folklore with an astonishing century as England levelled the series with a historic one-wicket win at Headingley, writes Sam Drury from Headingley...
Stokes finished unbeaten on 135 as England recorded their highest successful chase in one of the most remarkable finishes in Test cricket.
The all-rounder scored all but one run in a last-wicket stand of 76 with Jack Leach (1no) and thumped the winning runs through the covers to spark wild celebrations among a crowd at Leeds who could scarcely believe what they had just seen.
Sir Ian Botham had 1981, Andrew Flintoff 2005, while 2019 belongs to Ben Stokes after a remarkable Ashes win at Headingley, writes David Currie from Leeds...
"No way. No, no way. You cannot do that, Ben Stokes!"
England's remarkable summer started with some genius from Stokes, a stunning one-handed catch on the boundary in their Cricket World Cup opener against South Africa that prompted those exact words from Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain.
After then playing a major hand in some Super-Over madness that saw England lift said World Cup, Stokes was again at the heart of a truly incredible win at Headingley, one to rival not only that late Lord's drama in mid-July but anything in cricket that has come before.
Ben Stokes added his name to the cast of Headingley heroes but had some stellar support acts as the Ashes stayed alive, writes David Ruse
England match-winner Ben Stokes: "It was unbelievable and something I will never forget. I've got to take it all in. I'm not sure it will ever happen again. It is right up there [with the World Cup win]. I love being part of those challenges you get faced with - we are playing at the highest level and you don't expect anything else. There is nothing better than being there at the end and getting your team over the line."
England captain Joe Root: "To try and sum up Stokes' innings in words is impossible. Outrageous batting. He has got previous and he has got that in the bank, he had to call upon all that but to stay as calm and collected as he did in the moment took a great amount of skill, courage and belief in his own ability. It is a fabulous marker for everyone. I am still trying to get my head around everything, it was just amazing."
Sir Ian Botham: "I've banged the Stokes drum for a long time now and I know when other players see him they think there is something special about him. He is very very valuable to cricket not just England, he will sell the game worldwide. He should enjoy every moment. It was a really remarkable performance."
Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain: "That was unbelievable from Stokes. What struck me was that he never seems to know when to give up. He is exhausted; he's done the World Cup, he bowled a superb spell yesterday; he must be so tired. So to have the clarity of thought that he did when you are so tired and under so much pressure is superb. He took the right decision at the right time - every time."
Sky Sports' Mike Atherton: "On this ground, great English innings in recent years, you're thinking Botham in 1981, Gooch in 1991, Butcher 2001 and Stokes has to top all those. Australia, Ashes at stake, England were dead and buried. This has to be one of the greatest Test innings. It was a combination of all sorts of things, craft, skill, versatility and most of all an 'over my dead body' attitude and without which you are not a great player."
Sky Sports' Shane Warne: "It was unbelievable stuff - high octane cricket. The atmosphere and the intensity of the crowd was off the scale. To control the game as Stokes did was just amazing; he is one of those guys who you want in the trenches with you. He's an amazing cricketer and special talent, but when the opportunity presents itself, you still have to take it. There is nothing like Test cricket that brings out this sort of drama."
