England captain Ben Stokes recently shared an amusing conversation he had with Jofra Archer regarding the sixth anniversary of their 2019 World Cup victory. Speaking during the post-match press conference after England’s tense 22-run win over India in the Lord’s Test on Monday, July 14, Stokes recounted the moment.
He revealed that ahead of Day 5’s play, he asked Archer if he remembered the significance of July 14. To his surprise, Archer mistakenly associated the date with India’s memorable two-wicket win over England in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final.
Notably, that iconic match took place at Lord’s on July 13, 2002, where India successfully chased a 326-run target. Mohammad Kaif starred with an unbeaten 87 off 75 balls, and the match is famously remembered for Sourav Ganguly’s shirt-waving celebration on the Lord’s balcony.
Reflecting on the humorous interaction, Stokes remarked:
“This morning, I said, ‘You know what today is?’ And there was that, you know, that hat highlight package of India knocking off 300-odd back in the day with Ganguly? He thought that was the World Cup final as well. He thought that was six years ago today. And I was like, no, that World Cup that we won.”
“Had a feeling he’d do something special” – Stokes on Archer’s Day 5 heroics
During the post-match presentation, Ben Stokes highlighted Jofra Archer’s key role in England’s 2019 World Cup final victory against New Zealand at Lord’s. He added that he had a sense Archer might deliver something equally impactful on the sixth anniversary of that historic win.
On Day 5, Archer made an immediate impact by dismissing Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar, putting England in control. Praising his performance, Stokes said (as quoted by NDTV):
“It was an extraordinary finish. It was actually part of the reason I went with Jof and myself this morning, one of those feelings, what is it, 6 years now to the day (2019 WC win). Jof played a major role in that, just had one of those feelings he would do something special, and he cracked the game open with two wickets. It wasn’t an easy call; there was a bit of discussion in the dressing room.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.