Former England captain Michael Atherton applauded Ben Stokes’ exceptional effort on the final day of the Lord’s Test against Australia, despite a 43-run defeat in the end. The all-rounder gave Australia a mighty scare with a blistering 155-run knock which came in 214 deliveries in the fourth innings as well.

Lauding his competitive spirit, Atherton wrote in his column for The Times: “This country has produced many great cricketers over the years. Has there ever been a player, though, whose competitive instincts have shone as brightly as they do from Ben Stokes? Has there even been a player with such an indomitable will to win and whose never-say-die spirit has been so evident?”

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He continued: “While he was in the middle, breathing life into a team that had gifted away a huge advantage on the toss and conditions, all was not lost. His 13th Test hundred had echoes of his match-winning century at Headingley four years ago, and another miracle looked on the cards for a while.”

However, Ben Stokes’ effort included nine sixes, the most by any batter in a single Ashes innings to date as well. But, the lower order could not help after his dismissal as the hosts were eventually got out for 327, handing Australia a 2-0 lead in the five-match series as well.

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“For a while, especially when Australia’s fielding began to disintegrate under pressure either side of lunch, with Steve Smith of all people dropping a simple catch, the similarities to Headingley were all too obvious. It would be fair to say that the old ground has never witnessed an atmosphere quite like it at a Test match. A normal atmosphere at Lord’s would resemble a polite English tea party, but the place became febrile after the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow in the morning,” he concluded.