Ben Stokes throws childish tantrum after Mitchell Starc destroys his stumps in 3rd Ashes Test
The battle between bat and ball reached a boiling point when Mitchell Starc produced a moment of pure magic to end Ben Stokes’ heroic resistance, triggering an emotional scene that perfectly captured the intensity of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26.
Bowling at a high pace, Mitchell Starc fired a 143.6 kph wobble-seam delivery that jagged back sharply after pitching. Ben Stokes, who had fought for nearly four hours and carried England on his shoulders, tried to force the ball through the off-side at the Adelaide Oval.
Raw emotions at Adelaide as Mitchell Starc shatters Ben Stokes' stumps in the third Ashes Test
The England captain misjudged the movement. Stokes did not expect the ball to move back in. There was a big gap between his bat and his pad. The ball went through the gap and crashed into the off-stump, sparking raw emotions from both the batters and bowlers in the ongoing third Ashes 2025-26 Test.
The Australian pacer celebrated Stokes’ wicket wildly, shouting loudly before punching the air, as he had ended a dangerous century stand between the England captain and pacer Jofra Archer and ended the touring side’s fightback in the ongoing third Test at Adelaide Oval.
On the other hand, Stokes was visibly furious with himself. The Englishman stood frozen in disbelief, then jumped in anger, furious with himself as his hours of hard work went in vain. Even Stokes threw his bat slightly in the air before walking back to the pavilion angrily.
OH MY WORD WHAT A SEED FROM MITCH STARC!#Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/1z4idDsklT
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 19, 2025
Kerry O’Keeffe hails Ben Stokes’ raw emotion in Adelaide
Stokes played a brilliant knock of 83 runs off 198 balls, hitting 8 fours to take England to 286 runs in reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 371 runs in the ongoing third Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.
However, former Australia spinner Kerry O’Keeffe was full of praise for the fighting spirit Stokes showed under pressure. He was especially impressed by the raw emotion Stokes displayed after getting out, seeing it as a sign of how much the innings meant to him.
O’Keeffe said on Kayo Sports in Adelaide: “Ben Stokes is decimated. Look at the reaction from the English skipper. You rarely see that sort of emotion from Stokes. It meant so much to him.”
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Mitchell Starc continues to haunt Ben Stokes as he hits the slowest Test fifty in Australia
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has now been dismissed 12 times in 26 innings by Mitchell Starc in Tests, the most by the Australian fast bowler against any player. Another Englishman, Jonny Bairstow, has also fallen to Starc 12 times in the same innings in the longest format of the game.
Joe Root was also dismissed by Starc 11 times across 35 innings. On the other hand, Stokes’ fifty in the Adelaide Test in 2025 was the slowest half-century of his Test career, taking 159 balls. However, this knock showed his intent to dig in and fight during a tough phase.
Interestingly, all of Stokes’ slowest Test fifties have come against Australia. He took 152 balls to reach fifty at Leeds in the 2019 Ashes and 148 balls at Brisbane earlier in 2025.
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