England’s Ben Stokes celebrates winning the test (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)In the era of precise sports nutrition, Ben Stokes revealed that his meal the night before his epic 135 not out against Australia to win the third Ashes Test was some pasta, fried chicken and two bars of chocolate.
Stokes was on the pitch at the end of the Day 3 on two off 50 balls. A journalist asked the all-rounder what he had eaten and whether he’d slept well to recover, given he’d bowled over 20 overs that day.
Stokes said his wife and children had come down to Leeds that night, and they got to the team hotel only in the night.
“My wife and kids came down and they got there at around 10 o’clock. My wife walked into me eating pasta in my boxer shorts!” the 28-year-old said.
“Last night, I think had a knock-off Nandos (fried chicken) and two (chocolate) bars of Yorkie biscuit and raisin…And a couple of coffees in the morning,” he said to laughter.
Stokes also praised off-spinner Jack Leach for his batting saying, “Those will be the most important balls that Jack Leach has ever faced in his career, will ever face in his Test career. The best 1* he’s ever got in his career.”
“For a number 11 to come out under that kind of pressure and to deliver when he needed to deliver was fantastic for him to be able to do that. A lot of credit has to go to him as well for us being able to cross the line at the end,” he said.
The all-rounder late on Sunday night also tweeted that Leach was a legend. Leach scored 1 off 17 deliveries in a last-wicket partnership of 76 off 62 balls with Stokes.
It was the second-highest 10th wicket partnership in a successful fourth innings run chase. Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando scored an unbeaten 78 in Sri Lanka’s successful run chase against South Africa earlier this year.
