'I never gave up' – Stokes reflects on Ashes-saving Headingley heroics

England, who were dismissed for a paltry 67 in the first innings, were set an improbable target of 359 to win. The hosts resumed the day on 156/3, with skipper Joe Root in the middle on 75 and Stokes on just 2.

From there the game went through a see-saw phase for a while, but the ball shifted to Australia's court when they reduced England to 286/9 with 73 more required for the hosts to keep themselves alive in the series. The spirit in the Australian camp was high as they were just a wicket away from retaining the Ashes, however, the game took a dramatic turn as Stokes led his side to a memorable one-wicket win.

"I never gave up,” said Stokes after the match on Sunday, 25 August. "Walking off there at the end when the whole of Headingley was standing up and celebrating was a very special moment and something I had to try to take. Moments like that don’t come along very often. It was just an amazing game to be a part of. To be there at the end and still keep our Ashes hopes alive was a pretty special feeling."

Exactly six weeks ago, Stokes was crowned the hero of the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which England won at Lord's, and added the win at Headingley to the World Cup triumph calling it the "top two feelings I've ever had on a cricket field".

"It probably matches the World Cup, to be honest," Stokes said while speaking to Sky Sports. "Unbelievable, it's one I'll never forget. I'm not sure that'll ever happen again. I just had to try to take it all in. It's never over until it's over."

He also praised the tailender, Jack Leach, who stayed at the crease and shared a match-winning 76-run tenth-wicket stand with Stokes. While the onus of scoring was on Stokes, Leach's 17-ball one run was valuable in keeping England's chances in the Test alive.

Stokes explained the situation at which Leach had walked in, he said: "When Leachy came in it was pretty clear what had to be done. [I was] just saying 'five and one' - I'll take five [balls] and you take one. There were a couple of times I thought we were getting two but it was only one, but Leachy's done it before.

"He's a super nightwatchman, he's got a 92 [at the Lord's Test against Ireland last month], and I backed him knowing what he had to do. I couldn't watch at the end, I was just waiting to see what happened.

"When it got down to 20 [runs required], I started thinking I could rein it in a little bit, but when it was 70s, 60s, 50s I thought I had to really try and go. I was so in the zone as to what I had to do."

Australia skipper Tim Paine also lauded Stokes for his brilliant effort. "Ben Stokes played an unbelievable innings. It's probably the best Test innings I've seen, and the rest of the team thought the same thing."