VIDEO | Ben Stokes pulls off reverse sweep and switch hit on one ball to end Australian hopes

08/26/2019

By playing one of the finest knocks in Test cricket, Ben Stokes brought his canonisation in the sweetest way possible, and the way he did it put everything else behind. His reverse sweep and switch hit on one ball against Nathan Lyon was the stuff of genius and literally brought Leeds to surprise.

Headingley Test saw Stokes playing one innings of his lifetime and by partnering England’s No 11 batsman Jack Leach, he treated Australia’s bowlers with complete disdain and never ever had to contain himself despite knowing that a rash shot could well end his party.

No shot, however, defined his confidence in the typical English afternoon than his reverse sweep, which could very well be called a switch hit too. On the penultimate ball of the 119th over, Lyon landed a full ball on his leg-side and sensing that, Stokes quickly moved his leg before turning a right-handed batsman.

However, he did that in a lower sweeping stance, unlike Kevin Pietersen’s hit with an upright backlift, and without even changing his grip, he hit that shot flat over deep sweeper cover for a six. That hit seemed like casting the spell as he looked monstrous after that and what happened after that moment has become a big part of the cricketing lore, making Stokes’ England’s best since Ian Botham.