New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): MI Cape Town have secured England Test captain and double white-ball World Cup winner Ben Stokes, along with star New Zealand swing-bowler Trent Boult for the upcoming season of the SA20.
Stokes is set to return to a happy hunting ground, Newlands, where he produced one of the greatest innings of all time when the flame-haired all-rounder struck a majestic 258 from 198 balls against the Proteas at the foot of Table Mountain.
Stokes incredibly took England over the line in the epic 2019 ODI World Cup final at Lord’s, where he struck an undefeated 84 to help the host nation level the scores with New Zealand, before summoning every ounce of energy and determination to come out and bat again in the most famous Super Over of all time.
Stokes was also at the crease to strike the winning runs when England defeated Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG three years later. It was a poignant moment in history as England became the first Men’s team to simultaneously hold both ICC white-ball crowns.
He has since switched his focus to red-ball cricket where he has revolutionised England’s approach to Test matches.
His natural attacking instincts have come to the fore yet again with Stokes promoting himself to open the innings in the recent third and final Test against the West Indies and following it up with a record for the fastest Test half-century by an England batter off just 24 balls, beating Ian Botham’s 28-ball fifty from 1981 against India in Delhi.
Overall, Stokes has scored 3023 runs in 159 T20 matches at an average of 24.77 at a strike-rate of 133.23. Equally, he has claimed 90 wickets at an average of 30.38.
Stokes is currently injured after tearing a hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred but is expected to be fully fit for England’s tour of Pakistan in October.
Meanwhile, Boult will now also join up with Stokes at MI Cape Town. Boult delivered the final over and the Super Over to Stokes at Lord’s in 2019.
Boult is regarded as one of the finest left-arm bowlers of his generation, having led the Black Caps attack during their golden era. The 35-year-old was part of the Black Caps squad that reached successive ICC ODI World Cup finals – 2015 and 2019 – and also the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in 2021.
“MI, MI Emirates, MI New York and now MI Cape Town. I’ll be donning the Blue-and-Gold colours in the edition of SA20. Playing at the scenic Newlands is going to be special. I know, it’s going to be Lekker,” Boult was quoted in a release from MI Cape Town as saying.
The Kiwi player had already tasted success on the global stage, playing a major part in New Zealand’s World Test Championship triumph. (ANI)
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