Cape Town: MI Cape Town have secured England Test captain and double white-ball World Cup winner Ben Stokes along with New Zealand’s premier swing-bowler Trent Boult for the Betway SA20 Season 3.
Stokes is set to return to a happy hunting ground, Newlands, where he produced one of the greatest innings of all time when the flame-haired all-rounder struck a majestic 258 from 198 balls against the Proteas at the foot of Table Mountain.
The 33-year-old is pure box-office and is arguably the biggest global superstar in the game at the moment and his presence will not only add value to MI Cape Town but the entire League as well.
Stokes’ list of achievements are in line with a fairytale.
He incredibly took England over the line in the epic 2019 ICC Men’s ODI final at Lord’s, where he struck an undefeated 84 to help the host nation level the scores with New Zealand, before summoning every ounce of energy and determination to come out and bat again in the most famous Super Over of all time.
Stokes was also at the crease to strike the winning runs when England defeated Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG three years later. It was a poignant moment in history as England became the first Men’s team to simultaneously hold both ICC white-ball crowns.
He has since switched his focus to red-ball cricket where he has revolutionised England’s approach to Test matches.
His natural attacking instincts have come to the fore yet again with Stokes promoting himself to open the innings in the recent third and final Test against the West Indies and following it up with a record for the fastest Test half-century by an England batter off just 24 balls, beating Ian Botham’s 28-ball fifty from 1981 against India in Delhi.
Stokes’ immense match-winning ability and “X-factor” has also been recognised at the Indian Premier League where has played for the Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. He was named the tournament’s MVP – Most Valuable Player – in 2017.
Overall, Stokes has scored 3023 runs in 159 T20 matches at an average of 24.77 at a strike-rate of 133.23. Equally, he has claimed 90 wickets at an average of 30.38.
The MICT faithful will certainly give Stokes a rousing Cape Town welcome when he arrives for Season 3.
Stokes is currently injured after tearing a hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, but is expected to be fully-fit for England’s tour of Pakistan in October.
In an ironic twist, Boult will now also join up with Stokes at MI Cape Town. Boult delivered the final over and the Super Over to Stokes at Lord’s in 2019.
Boult is regarded as one of the finest left-arm bowlers of his generation, having led the Black Caps attack during their golden era. The 35-year-old was part of the Black Caps squad that reached successive ICC Men’s ODI World Cup finals – 2015 and 2019 – and also the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in 2021.
He eventually, though, tasted success on the global stage, playing a major part in New Zealand’s World Test Championship triumph.
Boult is a vastly experienced T20 campaigner having been part of the IPL since 2015, and since claimed 121 wickets in 104 matches. He will once again be part of the MI family after spending two seasons with Mumbai Indians, claiming a sensational 25 wickets in 15 matches that helped MI win the IPL title in 2020.
Boult also plays for MI New York in the Major Cricket League in the United States, where he played a major role in MINY becoming the first team to lift the MLC title in 2023. He finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps – exactly double more than the second-placed Andrew Tye.
“MI, MI Emirates, MI New York and now MI Cape Town. I’ll be donning the Blue-and-Gold colours in the edition of SA20. Playing at the scenic Newlands is going to be special. I know, it’s going to be Lekker,” Boult said.
