Ashes: Ben Stokes Frustrated After Starc’s Ripper Ends Vital Resistance.
England captain Ben Stokes displayed his familiar intensity after being dismissed in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. Batting on 83, Stokes had stitched together a crucial 106-run ninth-wicket partnership with Jofra Archer, helping England recover from 168 for 8 and inch closer to Australia’s first-innings total of 371.
Stokes’s vigil ended when Mitchell Starc delivered a near-unplayable outswinger that snuck between bat and pad to crash into the stumps. The England skipper jumped in frustration and berated himself on the walk back to the pavilion, visibly upset and ignoring fans reaching out to him.
The Adelaide crowd, however, applauded Stokes’s fighting effort, recognizing the lifeline he and Archer provided at a critical stage. Archer went on to make 51 before being the last wicket to fall on Day 3 morning.
Starc has now dismissed Stokes 12 times in Test cricket, underscoring the bowler’s dominance over the England all-rounder. Despite this, Stokes’s innings marked his first half-century of the series, helping England avoid a deeper collapse after early struggles with the bat.
With England trailing 0-2 in the series, the visitors will need a strong second innings from both bat and ball to stay competitive in the Test and keep their Ashes hopes alive.
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