England kicked off their home World Cup with a crushing 104-run victory over South Africa, Ben Stokes capping an inspirational all-round performance with a one-handed catch that will go down among the greatest in tournament history.
Stokes top-scored with 89 as the hosts posted 311 for eight at a sold out Oval and finished the match with two wickets in as many balls but his best moment came while he was stationed at deep midwicket - a quite astonishing leaping effort with his outstretched right hand seeing off Andile Phehlukwayo.
On any other day the spotlight might have shone on Jofra Archer, who underlined his fast-growing superstar status with three for 27 and a bouncer that forced Hashim Amla to retreat to the pavilion for concussion tests, but Stokes' flash of inspiration lit a fuse under this competition. Re-live the action in the blog below.
|
|
"The World Cup alone raises the profile of the game and is a platform for every young kid in this country to have a hero or have the inspiration to pick up a ball or a bat," he said.
"To go on and win it, I couldn't imagine what that would do. The impact of the Women's World Cup two years ago was amazing, the women's game is thriving. It would mean a huge amount for us to win it."
"There is a lot of good faith going around from the public with people just looking forward to the tournament and being excited about the whole summer ahead. As a team we're just as excited and we're ready to give it a good crack."
Asked if England were looking to make a statement with the manner of their performance or simply bank their first winning points, Morgan was unequivocal.
"A win under any circumstances," he responded.
