LONDON (AP) — Ben Stokes is in record-breaking form heading into the Cricket World Cup.
In clubbing 182 off 124 balls, Stokes made the highest score by an England player in one-day internationals to set up the team’s 181-run win over New Zealand in the third match of the series at The Oval on Wednesday.
Stokes beat the previous best mark by an England player — 180 by Jason Roy against Australia in Melbourne in 2018 — and posted the 24th highest individual score ever in the 50-over format.
How he compiled his innings — a measured start of 13 in 19 balls before he opened his shoulders to hit nine sixes and 15 fours — underlined why England was so keen to get Stokes out of ODI retirement ahead of the team’s defense of the World Cup title in India starting next month.
“Coming back into the team after a while out, it’s nice to come back and help the team,” said Stokes, who added that he apologized to Roy for taking his record.