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England Test skipper Ben Stokes has had the unfortunate string of being dismissed against some sensational deliveries in the past, and almost all of them have elicited a viral reaction in the form of shock and surprise. The all-rounder is quite an expressive individual with emotions ranging from humor to aggression.
The thing about getting out to brilliant deliveries is that it takes a second to actually comprehend what actually happened, following which the realization hits. After falling prey to such deliveries, Stokes often has a helpless look on his face, which then turns into surprise.
On that note, let us take a look at five times Ben Stokes reacted confused and surprised after being bowled.
#1 Northern Superchargers vs Birmingham Phoenix (The Hundred 2024; Edgbaston)
Ben Stokes marked a return to The Hundred after three years, taking advantage of the slight gap in England's home summer schedule. However, the all-rounder's return to the competition ended up being a forgettable one from his perspective as he was dismissed for a golden duck and his side ended up losing the encounter by 10 wickets.
Stokes, coming in at No.3, did not face the first ball up until one-fifth of the innings was done with. But, when he finally got the opportunity, he was castled by a Tim Southee delivery that nipped back just a touch and breached the gap between bat and his body.
Stokes was cut in half while trying to make contact with the ball and got in quite an ugly shape after being beaten. Stokes was left dumbfounded and stood rooted to the spot before making his way to the pavilion.
#2 England vs West Indies ( 1st Test, 2024; Lord's)
Ben Stokes was hoping to make the most of relatively good batting conditions at Lord's in the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's recently. However, his stay at the crease lasted only 11 deliveries as he was bowled by a peach of a delivery by left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.
Stokes has clobbered opposition left-arm spinners many a time, using the favorable match-up. But, in this instance, he was beaten by a delivery that turned a mile from outside the off stump and crashed onto the stumps. The ball not only crashed onto the stumps but also managed to uproot the middle stump.
The skipper attempted to play a cross-bat shot towards the midwicket region but got beaten comprehensively.
#3 India vs England (2nd Test, 2024; Vizag)
Ben Stokes had no reply to Jasprit Bumrah's mastery during the five-match Test series between India and England in early 2024.
In the second Test in Vizag, Stokes was undone by a delivery from Bumrah that kept a touch low after being bowled from around the wicket. The southpaw failed to bring his bat down in time as the ball sneaked past the gap to shatter the stumps. The skipper was left speechless as he just dropped his bat in disbelief and surprise.
Even in the series opener in Hyderabad, the left-handed batter was left bamboozled by Jasprit Bumrah's delivery that swung away from him with the angle from around the wicket.
The bat was miles away from the delivery that kept moving away, and it was safe to say that Stokes had no clue whatsoever. He had his arms outstretched in confusion as he made his way back to the pavilion.
#4 England vs Australia (5th Test, 2023; The Oval)
The stakes were high in the Ashes series finale and Stokes as skipper needed to deliver to help England level the series. He came into bat in a crucial time, but could not make an impact after being undone by a stunning delivery from Mitchell Starc.
Stokes could not deal with an out-swinging delivery by Starc that nipped away just a touch and evaded the bat and the body to hit the top of the off stump. The skipper was left frozen just outside the crease as he processed what just happened.
Starc has often brought such a reaction after Stokes was left befuddled after being castled by a searing yorker by the left-arm pacer in the 2019 ODI World Cup. On that occasion, he had even dropped the bat from his hands revealing his confusion.
#5 India vs England (2023 ODI World Cup; Lucknow)
Stokes was subjected to a ferocious spell by Mohammed Shami in the 2023 ODI World Cup league stage encounter between India and England at the Ekana Stadium.
The all-rounder was caught all ends up as Shami got the ball moving in the air and off the surface as well while coming around the wicket. After several plays and misses, Stokes' nightmarish stay at the crease came to an end as Shami's delivery that came back in after pitching shattered the stumps.
Stokes had cleared his leg in a bid to go big, but was not even close in terms of connection and was in an ugly shape when he was beaten by the ball.
