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Cricket Players‘Lights up a cigarette and has few minutes on his own’: New book reveals how Ben Stokes calmed his nerves before World Cup Super Over
The pressure and intensity of a World Cup final heading into a Super Over was sure to be immense. It even led to the hero of the match, Stokes, to take a ‘cigarette break’ before the start of the Super Over.
The 2019 Cricket World Cup final was one of the greatest ODIs in the history of the game. The nail-bitting match between England and New Zealand ended up being a tie with both teams scoring 241 in their quota of 50 overs. The home side looked out of the game but Ben Stokes rescued them to take his team level on runs with the Kiwis. He stayed unbeaten on 84 as the final headed into a Super Over.
The pressure and intensity of a World Cup final heading into a Super Over was sure to be immense. It even led to the hero of the match, Stokes, taking a ‘cigarette break’ before the start of the Super Over. In an excerpt from a newly released book named ‘Morgan’s Men: The Inside Story of England’s Rise from Cricket World Cup Humiliation to Glory’, it was revealed that Stokes found a quiet place inside the Lord’s Stadium to light up a cigarette to calm his nerves.
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“Finding a quiet spot as the frenzy of the Super Over approached was hard in a ground packed out with 27,000 supporters and television cameras following the players from the middle, through the Long Room and up the stairs to the dressing room.
“But Ben Stokes had played at Lord’s many times. He knows every nook and cranny. As Eoin Morgan tries to bring calm to the England dressing room and sort out their tactics, Stokes nips off for a moment of peace.
“He is covered in dirt and sweat. He has batted for two hours and 27 minutes of unbelievable tension. What does Stokes do? He goes to the back of the England dressing room, past the attendant’s little office, and into the showers. There he lights up a cigarette and has few minutes on his own,” as quoted on stuff.co.nz.
It all boiled down to the last over of England’s chase. Stokes scored a fighting half-century and was England’s only hope in their quest to win a first-ever world title. After Trent Boult dropped Stokes at the deep, a catch he would have taken nine out of 10 times, Stokes pushed the match into the final over, off which 15 were needed. Eventually, New Zealand also managed to score 15 runs and the World Cup was awarded to England on the basis of scoring more boundaries in the match.
Brief scores: England 241 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 84*, Jos Buttler 59; Lockie Ferguson 3/50) tied with New Zealand 241/8 (Henry Nicholls 55; Chris Woakes 3-37, Liam Plunkett 3/42). England won in the one-over eliminator on boundary count
