The Headingley Test between Australia and England during the Ashes 2019 was one of the most iconic Test matches. Ben Stokes proved in that game his absolute class and earned a hero status for him. He did the same for his side in the 2019 World Cup Final as well.
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England lost the 1st Test of Ashes 2019, whereas the 2nd Test ended in a draw. The 3rd Test in Headingley was an important one for England, and the track was very tough for batting. Australia scored 179 runs in the 1st innings, and England bundled out for just 67 runs. Australia managed to score 246 runs in the 2nd innings and gave a target of 359 runs to England.
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While chasing England were 286/9, and it was assumed that Australia will win the match, but Ben Stokes had other ideas. He partnered with Jack Leach and took his side home. Stokes scored 135 runs in 219 balls and earned a famous win for his side. In the partnership, Leach could just score 1 run, and the rest was all about Stokes.
Ben Stokes once revealed how David Warner’s sledging motivated him to win Headingley Test
Ben Stokes had once revealed that it was David Warner’s sledging that worked as an extra motivation for him to do well in the Headingley Test. The English all-rounder said that Warner was constant in his ears and was trying his best to break his concentration.
Stokes insisted that he wanted to give something back to Warner, but he decided against doing it as he just wanted to take his side home in the end. Warner made his comeback after the sandpaper incident, and it was his first Test series after that where he was struggling a lot.
“I had extra personal motivation due to some things that were said to me out on the field on the evening of day three when I was trying to get through to stumps,” Stokes revealed in his book ‘On Fire’.
“A few of the Aussies were being quite chirpy, but in particular David Warner seemed to have his heart set on disrupting me.”
Stokes insisted that Warner was trying to build his good-guy image to compensate for his struggles in the Ashes 2019. Stuart Broad made Warner his bunny throughout the series, and Stokes said that despite doing all the stuff, Warner was just not able to get going in the series.
“Although he’d enjoyed a prolific World Cup campaign, he had struggled with the bat at the start of the Ashes and was perhaps turning to his old ways to try to get the best out of himself. The nice-guy act had done nothing for his runs column,” Stokes added.
