The Oval

Stokes smashed 182 as England romped to victory in the third ODI against New Zealand, with the entire touring side mustering just five more runs between them chasing 369.

For the 32-year-old Test captain the explosive innings was an thrilling vindication of his decision to come out of retirement and return to the fold ahead of next month’s World Cup defence in India.

As he smashed nine sixes and 15 fours over the course of 124 deliveries it was almost hard to imagine England going into battle without him.

But while head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler must have been thanking their lucky stars the middle-order match-winner was back in business, Stokes himself made a beeline for Roy.

The opening batter missed out on a planned comeback after a being laid low by back spasms, confining him to a watching brief as Stokes leapfrogged the 180 Roy made in Melbourne in 2018.

After more than five years in top spot, Roy was passing over the crown and smiled broadly as he clapped his team-mate’s achievement.

“I just apologised to Jase upstairs,” Stokes said.

“He said ‘well done’ and I said ‘sorry’. I don’t think there was too much to it. He’ll be pretty happy he’s seen one of his team-mates, who he’s played a lot of cricket with, take that off him.

“But individual stuff like that I’m not too fussed about. I didn’t really know I’d done it until the bloke on the tannoy started announcing it and then I got out next ball. It was his fault!”

While Stokes was not inclined to talk up his own efforts, he did admit to a sense of satisfaction at spending an extended period in the middle and setting his side on the path to a handsome victory.

The winning margin of 181, one run less than his own personal score, said the rest.

“It’s good to come back in after a while out and put a big contribution into us winning the game,” he said.

“I think today was good for me, to get familiarity again with how 50-over cricket goes. To get that game awareness, game smartness.

“There was a couple of times I had to check myself – I looked up and there was still 23, 24 overs left. That’s how one-day cricket goes, you can find yourself going pretty well and you want to keep going but you look up at the scoreboard and have to drag yourself back.”

Buttler was happy with the way England responded to an early double from Trent Boult, who dismissed Jonny Bairstow with the opening ball of the day and followed up by dismissing Joe Root cheaply.

“We were tested losing two early wickets but it’s exactly what I wanted us to do, take more risks, be more on the front foot,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special.

“Ben’s played a few good ones, but to make the highest one-day score for England, that was amazing.”

The game was over as a contest long before the end came, Chris Woakes taking three for 31 in a clinical new-ball burst alongside Reece Topley. The pair made up amply for the continued absence of Mark Wood and Adil Rashid from the bowling ranks, shutting down the Kiwis response early on.

“I was absolutely delighted with that, I haven’t seen as good new-ball bowling in white-ball cricket for a while,” said Buttler.

“It was a fantastic opening spell.”

The series concludes at Lord’s on Friday before the rivals meet again in the World Cup curtain-raiser in Ahmedabad just over two weeks later.

With that contest in mind, Kiwi coach Gary Stead noted drily: “I don’t mind watching Ben Stokes. I’d rather he scored his runs now than on October 5.”

Stokes, playing just his third 50-over match a year after walking away from the format, was in brutal form as he unloaded nine sixes and 15 fours on his way to the biggest score by an English batter.

The Test captain was England’s key man in 2019 and looks ready to reprise the role in India next month after blowing the one-day cobwebs away with a match-winning 124-ball innings that fired the hosts to 368.

New Zealand never got close, rounded up for 187 as the hosts closed out a 181-run thrashing to go 2-1 up with one game to play. The Black Caps managed just five more runs between them than Stokes thrashed on his own.

Jason Roy, the man who held the England record for more than five years since his 180 against Australia in Melbourne, was watching from the balcony as Stokes nudged him out of the history books.

The moment came in typically emphatic fashion, Stokes clobbering Ben Lister high over long-on, with Roy joining the crowd’s ovation with a smile on his face.

Roy had been pencilled in to make his comeback in the match but another bout of back spasms in the morning meant he was once again confined to the sidelines. With Harry Brook still angling to break into the 15-man World Cup squad, the timing could hardly be worse for an unpredictable niggle to emerge.

If there was one down side to Stokes’ first limited-overs century in six years it was the now familiar sight of him grimacing in pain as his chronic knee problems continued to hinder his movements.

Stokes has taken a calculated gamble that he can manage the condition in the weeks ahead but, even after a six-week post-Ashes lay-off, it was apparent that will not be an easy job.

Dawid Malan had a better time of it than Roy, scrubbing any lingering question marks next to his name with an accomplished 96 at opener. He shared a stand of 199 with Stokes after the pair were brought together in the third over at 13 for two and would have been good value for a century of his own.

His innings was less muscular than Stokes and he could not keep up with his partner’s furious strike-rate of 146.77 but Malan was a calm, authoritative presence at the top order despite dashing back from the birth of his second child to reclaim his spot. England are lucky to have him and any accommodation for Brook would surely have to come at somebody else’s expense.

The Yorkshireman was only edged out of the team in the first place by Stokes’ change of heart and the value of having him around was proved over and over again as he imposed himself on a side who will provide England’s first World Cup opponents in Ahmedabad.

Stokes’ timing was not perfect during his first 50 runs, throwing himself into powerful shots that relied more on will-power and brute force than touch and technique.

But he warmed to his task, taking just 32 balls to convert his half-century and 30 more to go from 100 to 150. His adaptability was on show throughout, with Lockie Ferguson cranking it up to 94mph at one stage only to be despatched repeatedly to the ropes as he strove for speed. At one stage he nonchalantly stepped inside the line of a short ball and helped it over his right shoulder for a one-bounce four.

When New Zealand took pace off, it got even uglier as Stokes hit Rachin Ravindra out of the attack with three sixes in two chastening overs. Once Malan was strangled down leg off a Trent Boult delivery so wayward it was initially called as a wide, New Zealand picked up wickets with enough regularity to bowl England out with 11 balls unused.

Boult, who began by dismissing Jonny Bairstow off the first ball of the match and had Joe Root playing on in his next over, finished in credit at five for 51 amid some messy figures.

Stokes finally departed in the 45th over, mis-hitting a low full toss from Lister two balls after beating Roy’s record.

The Kiwi chase never got off the ground, an excellent new ball spell from Chris Woakes reducing them to 37 for four. He took care of Will Young, Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell to suck the heat out of the contest.

The ground began to empty despite the best efforts of Glenn Phillips (72), with Liam Livingstone helping himself to three cheap wickets at the close.

Stokes, playing his third match since agreeing to return to 50-over cricket, usurped Jason Roy’s five-year old record of 180 in emphatic fashion with his ninth six of a brutal innings.

He fell two balls later, denying him the chance of becoming England’s first double-centurion, but over the course of 124 deliveries he proved just what the side have been missing during his year-long one-day absence.

Stokes was in rampant form against New Zealand on Wednesday, making the country’s highest ever ODI score in just his third innings since reversing his year-long retirement from the format.

With England’s World Cup defence less than three weeks away it was a perfect way for the man who carried them to victory in the 2019 final to prove his sense of occasion once again.

Stokes has nothing left to prove on the big stage but watching him bully England’s first World Cup opponents with nine sixes and 15 fours sent a wave of energy through the dressing room.

England went on to wrap up victory by a huge margin of 181 runs, another reminder that when he is in the side, the whole team walks a little taller.

“We obviously see Ben as this superhuman that can do incredible things. We know he can,” said Woakes, who picked up the baton with three early wickets in the field.

“It was great for the group and brilliant for Ben too. He’s an unbelievable cricketer but coming back into the team having retired, it will do his confidence a world of good.

“We always have doubts and performance anxieties at the best of times, so it’s great for his confidence and great for the team’s confidence and belief that we can post huge scores.

“It was amazing to be here and play in the game because that was an incredible knock.

“He struck it cleaner than anyone else out there. It just shows how good a player he is.”

Since walking away from 50-over cricket last summer citing workload issues, Stokes has poured his energies into his role as Test captain.

Working closely with head coach Brendon McCullum, he has revitalised the red-ball set-up, flipping their fortunes in dramatic fashion and playing out a thrilling drawn Ashes series that gripped the nation.

Woakes feels that stepping back into the ranks under Jos Buttler’s leadership, and operating as a specialist batter rather than all-action all-rounder, is a good thing for Stokes.

“I think him coming back into this team is probably a refreshing feeling for him, without the captaincy on his shoulders. To run the England Test team is a tough job,” he said.

“He’s probably seen this as a breath of fresh air, to play his natural game and be his natural person, which he always does.

“This group of players who have been around this team for a long time, always feel comfortable when we come back together.”

England’s World Cup squad has one more game together before departing for India, wrapping up their clash with the Black Caps at Lord’s on Friday.

There is hope that Jason Roy and Mark Wood will be fit for selection, with both sidelined for each of the last three matches. Roy has been laid low twice by back spasms and Wood has been kept in cotton well since ending the Ashes with a heel problem.

Roy, in particular, will be eager to feel bat on ball. Dawid Malan made 96 at opener on Wednesday to position himself as a viable alternative and Harry Brook continues to linger as a possible replacement should Roy’s fitness continue to raise questions.

“I think he’s hopeful. This close to a World Cup it’s a bit of a risk to throw him into a game when you’re unsure as to how he’s going to go,” said Woakes.

“Fingers crossed he’s alright. I’m sure he’s desperate to get out there and I’m sure he’s frustrated as well.

“Pre-World Cup you want to get a bit of form behind you and play as many games as possible but he’s a resilient character; the lads have got around him and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Surrey won the toss and elected to field first, restricting Middlesex to 155-8 off their 20 overs.

Luke Hollman (31), captain Stephen Eskinazi (25), and wicketkeeper/batsman John Simpson (25) were the chief scorers against Narine (2-27 off four overs) and Barbados-born England all-rounder Chris Jordan (2-27 off four overs).

Narine then top-scored with 51 not out off just 29 balls, including two fours and four sixes, while engaging in a match-winning 73-run fourth-wicket partnership with England test batsman Ollie Pope (37 not out).

Opener Will Jacks earlier smashed a 20-ball 43 for Surrey who easily reached 158-3 off just 15.1 overs to secure victory.

Surrey, also the team of former West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard, now lead the South Group with 15 points from eight games after seven wins and one no result.

Pooran hit a 41-ball 65* including four fours and as many sixes, following up his 62 in their previous game against the Southern Brave, to help the Superchargers post 145-5 from their hundred balls after being put in to bat by the Invincibles.

Sam Curran was the best bowler on the day for the Invincibles with 2-20 from 15 balls.

The Invincibles were then restricted to 126-9 from their 100 balls in reply.

Donovan Ferreira tried his best with a fighting 24-ball 49 including two fours and five sixes but excellent spells of 2-18 off 10 balls from Matthew Potts and 2-26 from 20 balls from Jordan Clark proved too hard to overcome.