I'm most hated father in NZ: Stokes' dad

Sports Desk: Ben Stokes’ father Ged has joked that he’s the most hated father in New Zealand after his son’s match-winning hand for England in the unforgettable Cricket World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Ged and Deb Stokes watched the final from their home in Christchurch as their son won the man-of-the-match award after delivering England its first World Cup title with a knock of 84 off 98 balls.

“When we were watching it, it’s an incredible feeling having your son out there doing what he does and then getting right down to the last ball, so we probably got the best of both worlds as I see it,” Ged, who played one match for the Kiwis rugby league team, said.

“I would say that it was already in the annals of folklore as the best game of one-day cricket ever played, has to be.”

Mrs Stokes said she was overcome at the end of the game.

“At the end of the game I cried my eyes out,” she said. “I was really disappointed for the Black Caps because they had given so much as well, it would have been great if it could have been a draw.”

In the last over, with England needing nine off the last three balls, Martin Guptill prevented a boundary but his throw for an attempted run out hit Stokes' bat and deflected to the boundary, adding six runs in all to England's total.

“I think I'll be apologising to them for the rest of my life (for those overthrows),” Stokes said after the match.

The Stokes family said they were so grateful for the support from people around Christchurch but there been one or two tongue-in-cheek comments.

“I had one or two say I was the most hated father in New Zealand at the moment but that was tongue in cheek, or I hope it was anyway,” Ged said.

risingbd/July 15, 2019/Mukul