Ben Stokes: Why England's talisman always proves his worth
Whether he is good,
bad or indifferent, you simply cannot ignore Ben Stokes.
So often England's talisman, it is a well-worn
cliche that Stokes 'makes things happen'. But it also rings true.
On Wednesday, despite struggling for batting
form on his return to the England Twenty20 team, he once again showed he can
change the course of a match - whether through sheer force of will or moments
of cricketing genius.
Back in the T20 side for the first time since
March 2021, the 31-year-old's two innings so far have been scratchy and
short-lived, scoring just nine and seven.
His innings in the first match stymied
England's momentum, which seems remarkable to say when you compare his
momentum-seizing approach to Test cricket this summer.
And after he was bowled attempting to heave
leg-spinner Adam Zampa out of the ground in the second match on Wednesday, the
Test Match Special commentary team began to consider what many thought
unthinkable: does Stokes deserve his place in the T20 team?
"That's hardly the sort of innings that
will fill the selectors with confidence," said Henry Morean. "Stokes
may be England's Test captain but in T20 cricket there is no certainty he will
be in the England side for the start of the World Cup."
Daniel Norcross added: "Ben Stokes is not
really a quick starter in T20s. There's a perception of what Ben Stokes is that
doesn't really match with reality.
"People also talk about his bowling but
his bowling in T20s has been quite expensive in the past, so I'd be more
inclined to look at Liam Livingstone when he is fit."
Stokes' T20 international bowling average of
37.25 feeds into that argument and places a lot of focus on his batting. It may
surprise some to know Stokes has never hit a T20 half-century for England and
averages just 19 in 36 matches.
Waiting in the wings, Livingstone is a
destructive batter in his own right who has a T20 international hundred to his
name. He is likely to be fit for England's final warm-up match against Pakistan
on Monday.
Also out of the team and waiting for his
chance is Phil Salt, who caught the eye with his aggressive batting in the T20
series victory over Pakistan last month.
Yet even when he is below his best in one area
of the game, Stokes is often involved in key moments in the others.
In Canberra on Wednesday, he opened the
bowling for the first time in a T20 international, conceding just four, before
a supreme piece of fielding left the crowd aghast.
When Mitchell Marsh clubbed Sam Curran over
long-off, it looked to be a six all the way.
Enter Stokes, who somehow dived full stretch
to pluck the white ball out of the dark night sky. Realising he was tumbling
over the rope, he clawed the ball back over the boundary rope. Six runs became
two. England would eventually win by eight runs.
At the end of the match, when asked what was
the difference between the sides, Australia captain Aaron Finch said:
"Fielding. We were really poor - sloppy, dropped chances."
Not England. Not Stokes.
Three balls after the boundary heroics, Curran
removed Marcus Stoinis and three overs after that Stokes - via a catch from
Curran - dismissed the dangerous Marsh just as the Australia number three
looked to be cutting loose.
It was enough to tip a tight match in
England's favour.
Australia know more than most - you can never
keep Stokes quiet for long.
