Stuart Broad compares Ben Stokes to Andrew Flintoff after inspired spell puts England within sight of victory

Stokes removed the dangerous Quinton de Kock and then skipper Faf du Plessis in a ferocious early evening spell to leave South Africa 117-4 at the close

Ben Stokes was England's hero in a pivotal evening session (Getty)

Stuart Broad compared Ben Stokes to Andrew Flintoff after watching the England all-rounder’s two wickets in two balls put them on the verge of victory in the third Test at The Oval.

Stokes removed the dangerous Quinton de Kock and then skipper Faf du Plessis in a ferocious early evening spell to leave South Africa 117-4 at the close still 375 away from what would be a world record chase.

It could have been worse for the tourists had Dean Elgar (72no) and Temba Bavuma (16no) not withstood a vicious bout of short-pitched bowling from Stokes, a spell that for Broad, who himself knows what its like to bowl his side into a winning position in inspired fashion, evoked memories of England’s last great all-rounder.

"Today, he bowled as quickly as I've seen him bowl," he said. "He had the wind behind him; his tail was up, and I think that bouncer that hit Elgar early in his spell really fired him up. From mid-off, it felt very quick - and the slips were pretty impressed."

He added: "It felt like one of those intimidating spells that Flintoff used to bowl - just heavy, and at the batsman. It was great to get two key batsmen out in quick succession with genuine pace.

"It was an exciting session to be on the field. When Stokesy gets that sort of momentum, it's great to see. He certainly dragged the team with him there, and we hope he can have another spell like it tomorrow."

England need six wickets to claim victory on the final day (Getty)

The key for England is to get the best out of Stokes as often as possible - and Broad thinks he knows how that is done.

"He's a better cricketer when he's in a battle, when he's fired-up - and the team are learning how to get him in that sort of mode more often,” he added. “He's such a great competitor to have on your team; if you can stoke him up so he gets in a battle, he has that steely focused look about him.

"He was pumped-up for that spell this afternoon - there's no doubt about that ... he got the crowd behind him."