After England completed a 3-1 series win over South Africa yesterday, the Durham duo of Ben Stokes and Mark Wood have a lot to thank for.
Both players put in an outstanding series with both bat and ball, in what saw England earn only their second overseas series win in four years.
The success of Wood throughout this tour is credit to the hard work he has put in off the pitch and his nine wickets for 100 runs in the final test at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg saw him pick up his career best figures – previously 6/93 in test cricket.
‘Woody’ rounded the series off with a bowling average of 13.58, topping the bowling averages, six runs per wicket less than Stuart Broad – in second place.
Despite missing the first two matches of the series – Wood showed no signs of being away from the test match scene and that was with the bat too! He smashed 95 runs at an average of 47.50, hitting sixes galore and closed the series with a strike rate of 128 the best of any batter this series.
While Mark Wood earned the player of the match in the fourth test, Ben Stokes was awarded player of the series. The ICC player of the year amassed 318 runs this series, finishing third on the run’s leader board at an average of 45.42.
He took ten wickets and grabbed 12 catches and once again put in game changing performance throughout the series. The presence Stokes brings on the pitch is second to none and the desire he puts in was once again clearly shown.
Stokes got England over the line in Cape Town with the ball as the tourists needed three wickets in the final hour. He dismissed Dwaine Pretorius and Anrich Nortje in consecutive balls before sending Vernon Philander back to the pavilion. England securing the victory with 8.2 overs left in the day.
Then his 120 in Port Elizabeth rounded off another perfect series for the Cumbrian. He again broke another record this time around – equalling the record for outfield catches by an England player in an overseas series and is now second in the amount of catches taken in all series for England – with Alastair Cook’s 13 catches topping the statistics.