Ricky Ponting compares Ben Stokes’s remarkable century at Headingley to Brian Lara’s epic in Barbados in 1999 and reflects on the half chances Australia missed
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Stokes got a constituency !
I've been watching test cricket since I was a boy, way back in 1979, and I've seen some remarkable breath taking innings…Lara's exploits, Gooch's 154 against the Windies in 1991, VVS Laxman against Australia and, of course, Botham 1981 but I've not seen an innings like Stokes' for sheer excitement, drama and one man shaping a match to his will. He wasn't just slogging it…it was all calculated. 73 to win, one wicket remaining…he knew he had to try and get it and quickly because Australia would have worn Leach down given enough time. Stokes had to go for it and he backed himself to do it. Phenomenal courage, determination and brass balls.
I can't believe that Australia's bowlers did no make any effort to change their lengths to Stokes
Wow!! Ricky really is bitter haha
I too
… and an LBW that was out" …
But how is the bat made?
'I can't believe it ' neather can I when a sub got you out and you had a tantrum. 😆
Well said Ricky ..very fair assessment
Nice comments..thats true sportsmanship.
Very generous comments by a master batsman
Ricky Ponting is one of my all time least favourite sportsmen. Not any more. Respect.
Great innings by Stokes and well done England but Aussie should have won. That late LBW was plumb, the sport needs the officials to get it right and not to rely on “reviews” that’s a soft option.
Aussie legend right there folks.
Well played England on a win for the ages. Respect from down under.
Good to see the ausies giving a bit of credit for a change.
Fact umpire cost Aussies the ashes,get decent umpires
Steve Smith, but what about Jim Anderson back? Seriously though, I was at uni in the early 00’s with a load of Aussies, personally I think it’s the best rivalry in sport, total rivalry on the field, best banter ever – you can taste the hate almost at times – then the games finishes – you go back to normal ball breaking but looking forward to seeing each other in the local, never a punch thrown and god forbid that any other group would have a go at the other – then we were all mates – “wow that’s our mates” 😂 Love to the Aussies from (originally the midlands) Plymouth, UK
Suddenly this series feels like 2005….bring on Old Trafford !!!
It is to the eternal shame of the BBC that they lost the contract to broadcast full day Test Match cricket in this country given three things: 1. That we pay them an accumulated fortune in order to be the U.K.'s public broadcaster, 2. That nothing is more English – and now increasingly as well British – than cricket, and 3. Just a tiny fraction of the money that they spend on staff and freelance broadcasters who virtually no one thinks is worth the money and would not care if they fell under a very large bus would have secured the cricket – at least The Ashes for God's sake. Absolutely pathetic, shameful, and a sign of the times.
Leach was the true hero. To defend all those balls against that bowling attack was more difficult for him than what Stokes did. Let's not forget Stokes made only 8 in the first innings.
What a player Ponting was, definitely in the top 10 batsman of all time. Just not a great captain
Ponting is, was, and will always be a bitter person. 'I've seen better batting?' No wonder Australia are hated in world cricket.
2:04 "An LBW that was out…" Er, nope, it wasn't. (The clue is in the score book)
I love that so many people in India and Pakistan follow this test series
I would still put Brian Lara's innings a better innings in 1999 with classical batting strokes against a far better Australian bowling attack and team in the caribbean as the best by a batsman to single handedly win a test match for his team. Also don't forget in the late 1990s the WI team was quite mediocre except for Brian Lara. I think he won the game by scoring a 150 or double century or something. Like here back then the WI crowd went wild and lifted the WI team. I saw the whole innings start to finnish on channel nine in Melbourne in 1999. That said Ben Stokes innings is right up there with Brian Lara's in 1999. Brian Lara I think is a far better technically correct and classical player than Ben Stokes. But Ben Stokes innings is right up there against a pretty good Australian attack but nowhere as good as the one Brian Lara faced in home conditions in the late 1990s against at that time world beating Australian team.
But the LBW was NOT OUT. There is something seriously wrong with the DRS tech, and no one apart from the batsman who would have been the victim of it – and would have handed the Ashes to the Aussies – is talking about it! Look closely at the video – CLOSELY and without your fan filter – and you will see what he means. It glanced his front pad first clearly, meaning the ball in the real world was heading down leg, but the "AI" did not pick that up and so predicted the path of the (deflected) ball as if it had turned and hit the stumps. That is a tech error.
Fortunately, it didn't affect the outcome – which would have been the Ashes. One day, though, this defect in supposedly foolproof tech will. That's not good enough.
Well fielded Lyno!!
Noice Gary!
Australia dont have the personalities anymore. Ponting, Langer, Hayden, Warne, Lee, McGrath. Big players put the fear into you. Now Steve Smith is a world class batsman and Warner can be decent but nowhere near the firepower or character of the above. Although hats off to Steve Smith performing in front of these crowds and taking a pummelling off Archer. Cant knock that
England are 1 all and they’ve been hopeless so far
Sour grapes
Stokes humiliated… Rewarded…. Smith humiliated… Rewarded… It's all panto… Get your heads out of your dates… Focus on what's important… Love to all…
I am an England fan but as much that i'm glad England won the test,i'm also convince Stokes was clean lbw.I guest the umpire was afraid of a backlash from the England fans,because the atmosphere around the ground was so charged in anticipation for the outcome of the match,but there's no doubt that Stokes was out.
Must mention the great Brain Lara
Ben Stokes innings was simply
un believable… WOW STUNNING …👍👍👍
BUT Brian Lara's 153 Is the Greatest Test Innings..
Remember Lara WI team was the Weakest WI team VS the Best Aussie Team ever..
LARA'S 153 IS THE GREATEST .. NEXT BEST IS SURELY BEN STOKES innings..
Ye sach hai ki ye best hai final ke bat se khela bell played dear love u
Ben Stokes….mmm good enough to be Australian this bloke. It's one thing to have a good all rounder in your team, but this bloke is possibly the best all-rounder in the world at the moment. his playing style is terrific to watch. never beaten. never done. the aussies need to make changes at the top. you can't expect smith to make all the runs or the new boy Labuschagne and he's played well. i think Khawaja needs to get amongst it more or be left out. I also think Wade is on soft ground. There's other talent available that should be getting their chances now….
Jack Leach should have been man of the match
In 999 of 1000 times, Lyon would have completed the run out.
In 70perc of the time, the umpire would have given that LBW. In the majority of the time Aus would still have had a review. Apart from a freak injury Smith would have batted.
So for this test it was just that Eng were destined to win.
It surely makes the next test fascinating.
Very classy comments Ricky!
Some are born GREAT freaks .😈
Ricky Ponting is as tough as nails, a great test player.
As an Englishman, I have a lot of respect for Ponting and agree with everything he says here
A really good honest appraisal of a tremendous days cricket. Ponting, always a great sportsman.
Too many mistakes by Aussie skipper drs,field placing also Aussie 2nd innings 246 not enough especially with 3 days to go and great weather also Tim Paine has done nothing with the bat and he’s skipper
Great if you’re English, stinker if you’re an Aussie. As Ponting stated, not a technically-pretty knock, but boy, Stokes – faced with insurmountable odds, put on an incredible performance to hang in there and save the test. Lots of people debating/arguing as to whether this was the ‘greatest’ (English) test. Not sure it was personally. But in terms of best run chase and best knock to keep a series alive, this session will take some beating. Love it. Can’t wait for 4th test at Old Trafford.
Ashes forever.