England FINALLY claim a second Cricket World Cup victory, beating the Netherlands by 160 runs after five straight defeats to keep their Champions Trophy qualification hopes alive… with Ben Stokes hitting a stunning century

Ben Stokes may no longer be an ODI cricketer by the time the 2025 Champions Trophy is held, but if England do qualify, they will remember his final saving grace with gratitude.

On a gloomy afternoon against the Netherlands in Pune, where the clouds threatened to add a ‘soggy farce’ to the list of their World Cup misfortunes, Stokes cracked a 78-ball hundred to end the debate over the ask if he should have flown home early for his knee surgery.

And he shot down the suggestion that he should be back in England already: “I’m not leaving anyone hanging.”

Chris Woakes also played a part, scoring his first ODI half-century in three years as England recovered from 192 for six against a pumped Dutch team also chasing a top eight finish and qualification for the Champions Trophy.

But it was Stokes who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, hitting six sixes to take England well past 300 with the kind of calculated abandon that was once their trademark.

Stokes celebrated his century as England posted 339 for nine innings at first against the Dutch

Moeen Ali celebrates one of his three wickets as England finally ended their losing streak

“Every time you need someone to step up, he has done it in the past,” Jos Buttler said. ‘We’re lucky to have him.

‘It’s not his style to go home early. He is here to play in the World Cup. It’s important for us to qualify for that Champions Trophy and he wants to make sure we achieve that.”

Up in the comments section, Eoin Morgan had again complained about the mixed messages he believes contributed to the downfall of his former colleagues.

And as Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Buttler all donated their wickets in a famous collapse, his words took on even more gravitas. Buttler also knows that the defeat against Pakistan in Calcutta on Saturday could yet make this 160-run victory redundant.

But for now, England can celebrate a win – almost a month after they last tasted it – and a jump of three places to seventh, ahead of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in net run-rate. For that, their head coach Matthew Mott will be quietly grateful.

Mott had spent the previous night in the team hotel bar watching Glenn Maxwell’s miracle in Mumbai.

He might even have wondered whether Stokes could produce something similar against the Dutch team that Mott himself represented twice in 50-over matches against provincial sides 20 years ago.

So far, Stokes’s tournament had been as frustrating as England’s. After missing the first three matches due to a hip injury, he had amassed 112 runs in four innings at a leisurely strike rate of 62. His fifth ODI hundred, and the first in a World Cup, was more like it.

The 160-run win provided some relief for captain Jos Buttler (centre) after five straight defeats

Dawid Malan hits a big shot on his way to his score of 87 from 74 balls to open for England

Jonny Bairstow can only look to the sky in despair as he is dismissed for just 15 years

There were moments of happiness. At 41 he was dropped with his long leg. And on 68 he might have been lbw to Aryan Dutt had TV official Marais Erasmus not decided, perhaps generously, that the ball had brushed the glove when he missed a reverse sweep.

But England are in no mood to turn down gifts, and Stokes’ stand of 135 in 13.2 overs with Woakes was their most stimulating match of the World Cup. It was what led up to it that will worry Mott before Saturday.

Bairstow took his tournament win to 159 off 19 when he fouled Dutt for 15, before Root – who was better thinking of a reverse ramp – was embarrassingly bowled between his thighs for 28.

Harry Brook made just 11 on his long-awaited return, but the nadir of an England collapse at five for 59 came when Buttler, on five, drove Paul van Meekeren into the middle of the match.

It was the shot of an exhausted, distracted man, who now has an average of thirteen here and may yet decide that a return to the over-50s will benefit everyone, including himself.

Here, however, he insisted he wanted to captain England in both white-ball formats in the Caribbean next month.

Four years ago, Bairstow, Root and Buttler contributed 1,400 runs to the World Cup victory, including five hundreds and seven fifties. Here it is 486, with less than half a century since the Bangladesh match.

Bas de Leede celebrates the wicket of Harry Brook, who could only make 11

England skipper Jos Buttler again failed with the bat, making just five before departing

Adil Rashid twisted his way to three wickets as England dismissed the Netherlands for 179

England were fortunate that Dawid Malan managed to keep in touch. He drove to 87 before changing his mind about a single he had to cover and lost on Logan van Beek’s throw.

But Stokes, on the ground where he hit 10 sixes in a one-day 99 against India in 2021, and Woakes took England to 339 for nine.

Woakes then removed Max O’Dowd for five, before David Willey got Colin Ackermann behind for a duck.

When Wesley Barresi was bowled out, the Dutch were 67 for three, perhaps setting their sights on the 272 they needed to stay above England in terms of net run-rate.

But Willey managed to catch Sybrand Engelbrecht halfway, and Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid made it 179. Beating the Netherlands does not mean that England are world beaters again. But it’s certainly better than losing.