Ben Stokes at Headingley 2019: 135 Not Out — England's Greatest Ashes Chase
The third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley, Leeds from 22 to 25 August 2019 produced the most dramatic last-wicket partnership in Ashes history. England, set 359 to win, were 286/9 when Ben Stokes came together with last man Jack Leach. Stokes scored 135 not out; Leach scored 1 not out off 17 balls (protecting his wicket). England won by 1 wicket to stay in the Ashes series. The partnership of 76 runs off 65 balls — with Stokes scoring all 75 meaningful runs — included six sixes in the final stages. Pat Cummins had taken 6/83. The match is widely considered the greatest Test match comeback in English cricket history and one of the top five Test innings of all time.
The third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley, Leeds, in August 2019 produced one of the most extraordinary passages of play in Test cricket history. England, set 359 to win, reached 286/9 — needing 73 more runs with only last man Jack Leach remaining. What followed over the next 65 balls is universally cited as one of the greatest individual Test innings ever played.
The Chase: 359, and 73 Needed with One Wicket Left
Australia had scored 179 and 246 (Pat Cummins 6/83 in England's first innings of 67 — and England had been dismissed for 67 in their first innings, conceding a follow-on). England set 359 to win after Australia declared in their second innings. England's batsmen struggled: Joe Root (77) provided the main contribution; Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, and Chris Woakes all fell cheaply in the lower-middle order. When Jofra Archer was dismissed for 15 at 286/9, Ben Stokes was on 61 not out. Jack Leach was England's last man — a spinner whose Test batting average was under 10. The partnership requirement: 73 runs from the last wicket, against Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc. Australia had not won the Ashes series yet; this match was the series-defining moment.
Stokes 135*: Six Sixes and the Defining Over
Stokes and Leach added 76 for the last wicket. Leach's contribution was 1 not out off 17 balls — he defended every delivery directed at him, leaving Stokes to take the strike at the danger end. Stokes scored 74 from the partnership. He reached his century from 122 balls. In the final stages, Stokes hit six sixes — including three off Pat Cummins — to accelerate toward the target. The winning run came off a Cummins delivery that Stokes drove through mid-on. England won by 1 wicket. Stokes finished 135 not out from 219 balls (strike rate 61.6 — measured, not reckless). The innings was a study in calculated risk: blocking when Leach had strike, then launching when Stokes had it. He later said the Headingley innings was planned in detail — identifying which balls to attack, which bowlers were more attackable (Hazlewood vs Cummins), and constructing the innings around giving Leach as few deliveries as possible.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Ben Stokes' Headingley 2019 innings analytically categorised as superior to other great last-wicket rescue innings in Ashes history, and how did Stokes and Leach execute the partnership tactically?
Ben Stokes' Headingley 2019 innings is distinguished from other great last-wicket chases by the size of the target, the quality of the bowling attack, and the degree of tactical precision required. The analytical framework for great last-wicket partnerships: the three variables are (a) runs required when the partnership begins, (b) the bowling quality faced, and (c) the proportion of runs scored by the not-out batsman (the metric of how much the last man shielded his partner). Headingley 2019 scores exceptionally on all three: (a) 73 required — in the top 10 largest last-wicket partnerships required in Test match winning situations; (b) Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc — all ranked inside the ICC top 5 Test bowlers at the time; (c) Leach scored 1 from 17 deliveries — meaning Stokes faced 93% of the scoring balls. The tactical execution — how they did it: Stokes' post-match analysis revealed a structured approach to last-wicket batting. He communicated to Leach before each over which bowler would pose less risk to Leach (Hazlewood vs Cummins — Hazlewood had a slightly fuller length, easier to block). Stokes took most of Cummins' overs himself. When Cummins attacked with bouncers (three deliveries above shoulder height in the 72nd-75th overs), Stokes hooked two for six — not defensive pushes, but attacking responses that shifted the required run rate and the psychological pressure back to Cummins. The redemption narrative (Brathwaite 2016): Stokes conceded the four sixes to Carlos Brathwaite in the 2016 T20 WC Final that cost England the match. The Headingley 2019 innings is universally framed as personal redemption — the man who lost a match with the ball, winning one with the bat in his country's highest-pressure situation. Stokes has consistently resisted this narrative framing, but analytically, the Headingley innings demonstrated the temperament shift that characterised his career from 2017 onward: confronting danger rather than managing it.