The new mature
Stokes is perfect
man for a crisis
A
week shy of two years
ago, Ben Stokes made
100 against the West
Indies at Leeds. It was
his sixth Test century
and second of the
summer, and seemed like the latest
confirmation of his development
into a Test batsman – not just
all-rounder – of high class.
Not for a moment would Stokes
have imagined what lay ahead
before his seventh Test hundred –
his next, indeed, in any form of
cricket. Since that century against
West Indies, Stokes has got
married and won the World Cup.
He has also come through the
incident in Bristol, in the early
hours of Sept 25, 2017, and an
aftermath that lasted nearly a year.
It may seem remiss to bring up
Bristol here, in the hour of Stokes
hitting a magnificent Ashes
hundred at Lord’s. But the Stokes
who scored his seventh Test
hundred did so as a profoundly
different cricketer, and man, to the
one who scored his sixth.
“It sounds silly but, could Bristol
have been the best thing that could
have happened to me? Who
knows. But maybe in terms of my
way of thinking,” Stokes told
ESPNCricinfo this year. “Thinking
all this is going to be taken away
from me might be the thing that
has changed the way I do things.”
Stokes’s training has reached
new levels of intensity as he has
become far fitter; Eoin Morgan, his
one-day international captain,
has even had to tell him to train
less hard.
Stokes reclaiming the
England vice-captaincy, from
which he had been sacked
after Bristol, reflected
his new more sombre- and sober – spirit.
Yet the change is
most obvious in his
batting. Before
Bristol, his batting
was infused with a
buccaneering
spirit, a zest for
counter-attack and
an utter disdain for
the reputations of the
bowlers he faced,
distilled in his audacious
120 at Perth in just his
second Test.
That century against
the West Indies, off
Stokes’s 122nd ball, was in
that spirit.
Now, responsibility is the
hallmark of his batting. In an
antidote to the “that’s just the way
I play” orthodoxy that permeates
Fracas nearly ended his
career but it inspired
England’s centurion to
grow, says Tim Wigmore
much of the England team, Stokes
took 187 balls over 62 runs against
India at Trent Bridge last year,
when trying to save a Test.
During the World Cup, he was
more adept than any at adapting
when conditions demanded a
divergence from the favoured
strategy, above all in the final.
Until he returned to the side
early last year, Stokes had a strike
rate of 99 in ODIs and 64 in Tests.
In the 18 months since it is 87 in
ODIs and 48 in Tests.
As he entered the crease in the
second innings at Lord’s, promoted
from six to five, he needed all this
refined judgment and defensive
discipline. England were 64 for
three – soon 71 for four – a position
scarcely buttressed by their
first-innings lead of eight. Continue
their collapse, and England stood
effectively to lose the Ashes.
And so, against Pat Cummins’s
ferocity and Nathan Lyon’s turn,this situation demanded all his
resolve. He had luck too, with
Australia not referring an lbw
decision on seven. By the close of
play he had eked out 16 from 41
balls. With England’s position still
in peril in the morning, he took
106 balls to reach 50.
Then, having shown the best
of the new Stokes, he married
it with the best of the old
Stokes. Stoicism was replaced
by swagger; from playing
attacking shots to 20 per
cent of balls before lunch,
he attacked 49 per cent
of balls thereafter.
A clip off Lyon
brought up his
century. The
celebration,
inward-focused,
rather than
exuberant, was in keeping
with the new Stokes too.
A few minutes later, after a
few imperious blows off Peter
Siddle, England declared.
Stokes bounced up the steps,
his thoughts now on how
England could pull off an
extraordinary win. But, as he
ran through the Long Room,
you hoped he gave himself a
few seconds to soak in his
innings, and all that had
gone into it.How Stokes accelerated
1-20
21-40
41-60
61-80
81-100
101-120
121-140
141-160
161-165
Balls Runs S/R
40
40
45
60
55
35
65
160
75
8
8
9
12
11
7
13
32
15
Ashes momentum
and this was a slow one, too shorn
of grass for edges to carry to slip –
which threatens throat and thorax.
For his bouncer, as he revealed be-
fore the game, he grips the ball with
an upright seam, which more often
than not steers the ball into the
right-handed batsman: Archer,
from the Nursery End, even made
his bouncer go up the slope in his
opening spell in Australia’s second
innings, before switching to his fa-
voured Pavilion End.
England, ironically, would have
had a better chance of winning if
they had been bowled out in their
second innings – but also, of course,
of losing. The benefits of batting on
until Root’s declaration, with ever
more panache, were that Ben
Stokes made his seventh Test cen-
tury and his first for England in any
format since the nightclub incident
almost two years ago, and took Aus-
tralia’s bowlers apart, except Cum-
mins, while Jos Buttler showed heis up for this fight by working his
way into the series.
Stokes’s batting against spin
evolved a stage further as he, and
Buttler, played Lyon off the back
foot and negated his threat. Both
batsmen were helped by Tim Paine
being so defensive in his field plac-
ings: no second slip for Stokes fac-
ing Lyon until England were safe,
no second short leg for Buttler. The
first fillip for England’s morale was
to see Australia’s captain back off,
before scaring the tourists in their
second innings.
Australia’s target was 267 off 48
overs, and theoretical once Warner
had been caught in the gully push-
ing at Archer with hard hands. Us-
man Khawaja followed in Archer’s
opening spell, as the bowler
showed maturity beyond his 24
years by operating round and over
the wicket with equal accuracy of
line. Labuschagne was unlucky
when he was caught at square legafter the ball had ricocheted off
short leg’s leg: until then he batted
better than any Australian in this
series apart from Smith.
From the Nursery End, Jack
Leach began to make the odd ball
bite off the pitch, let alone out of
the footmarks, while Archer and
Broad banged the ball in to packed
leg-side fields.
England might even have dis-
missed Australia in 48 overs if Jason
Roy had clung on to a chance Head
offered when 22. Slip fielders, like
Roy and Khawaja, had to stand
close because the pitch was slow
and were therefore surprised when
a batsman middled rather than
edged a ball to them.
If only more grass had been left
on, and if only six in effect out of the
15 sessions had not been lost ...
even so, England’s appetite for the
third Test could hardly be keener
after this dramatic shift in the bal-
ance of power.ent ways to get guys like Steve out,
but you don’t want to see that. I
couldn’t believe he came back out,
but he was desperate to do well for
Australia and his team-mates.”
Ben Stokes was named man of
the match for his century, but paid
tribute to Archer. Stokes fielded
close in to Archer for most of the
two Australian innings and was
blown away by his impact.
“Frightening. I am not sure there
will be a better debut in terms of
announcing yourself in the team,”
Stokes said. “The spell [to Steve
Smith] was incredible to watch, we
were laughing he was going to be
top of the rankings after one Test.We are very lucky he is in our team.
He gives you an extra dimension.”
Tim Paine, the Australia captain,
was one of Archer’s three second-
innings wickets and was clearly
unsettled by his bouncers. He
admitted Australia would spend the
next few days discussing how to
face Archer.
“We have seen him for a few
years now. We know the package
he brings with his pace and that’s
something every team wants to
have. It is up to us to make some
new plans and get better,” Paine
said.
Root said his team “threw every-
thing” at Australia to force a result,but believes they have responded
strongly to losing the first Test.
The squad for the third Test will
be announced this morning and is
likely to be unchanged, although
England are considering tinkering
with the batting order again, with
the experiment of Root at No 3
under consideration following his
first-ball duck in the second
innings. Joe Denly could move to
three, allowing Root to retake his
favourite position at four.
Jason Roy’s position as opener is
also up for discussion, but England
feel they should give him more time
after years of chopping and chang-
ing their opening partnerships.Crowded: The
entire England
team are in the
picture as Jack
Leach attempts
to dismiss Pat
Cummins in
the final overome far fitter; Eoin Morgan, his
-day international captain,
even had to tell him to train
hard.
tokes reclaiming the
gland vice-captaincy, from
ch he had been sacked
r Bristol, reflected
new more sombre
nd sober – spirit.
the change is
st obvious in his
ting. Before
stol, his batting
s infused witha
caneering
rit, a zest for
nter-attack and
utter disdain for
reputations of the
wlers he faced,
illed in his audacious
at Perth in just his
ond Test.
That century against
West Indies, off
kes’s 122nd ball, was in
t spirit.
Now, responsibility is the
mark of his batting. In an
idote to the “that’s just the way
ay” orthodoxy that permeatesballs. With England’s position
in peril in the morning, he to
106 balls to reach 50.
Then, having shown th
of the new Stokes, he mar
it with the best of the old
Stokes. Stoicism was repla
by swagger;fromplayi
atatacking shots to 20
cent of balls before l
he attacked 49 per c
of balls thereafter.
A clip off Lyon
brought up hi
century. The
celebration,
inward-focus
rather than
exuberant, was in keepi
wiwth the new Stokes too
A few minutes later, a
fefw imperious blows off
SiSddle, England declare
SStokes bounced up the
hihs thoughts now on ho
EnEgland could pull off a
extraordinary win. But
ran through the Long R
you hoped hegave him
few seconds to soak in
innings, and all that ha
gone into it.The Daily Telegraph Monday 19 August 2019 ** 3
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