Stokes, the all-rounder that keeps on ticking

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Kolkata: At Old Trafford on Saturday, Ben Stokes became the fifth captain to score a hundred and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test. The last time that happened in Test cricket, India were still six months away from winning their first World Cup. Records have a curious way of unearthing new takers but not when it comes to all-rounders, especially the kind that bowls fast. England's captain Ben Stokes acknowledges fans as he walks off the field after his dismissal on the fourth day of the fourth Test. (PTI)
Which is why Stokes emulating Imran Khan while becoming only the third player to complete the double of scoring 7,000 runs and taking 200-plus wickets in Test cricket, after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis, isn't merely an achievement, but a milestone. It's proof that allrounders aren't a dying breed yet.
You couldn't have seen this coming when Stokes retired hurt on 66 due to cramps. A night's rest however made way for a more agile version of the England skipper that tried to take a tight single and almost got run out after Anshul Kamboj's throw hit the stumps at the bowler's end. Next over, Stokes skipped down the pitch and clobbered Mohammed Siraj through cover for four, signalling a shift in momentum. Following over, Siraj erred in length again and Stokes went knee down for a splendid cover driven four.
England were eight wickets down by the time Stokes entered his 90s, which meant there was no question of hanging around, even though Liam Dawson was doing a fine job of holding one end. Stokes reached his first hundred in three years with a boundary — again off Siraj — took off his helmet, looked up in prayer, paused, took in the applause and shifted gears. His next 41 runs came in 34 balls, allowing England to reach 669, their fifth highest total in Tests.
For Stokes to choreograph this final push after taking five wickets in 24 overs — the second highest among England bowlers after Jofra Archer — in the first innings is remarkable considering how taxing the modern game has become.
Even more when you see how other teams have been struggling to produce a genuine fast bowling allrounder for a long time now, simply because of the workload. Hardik Pandya's back couldn't take it, as was the case with New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson. In this series alone, India have tinkered with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj as all-rounder. None of them have been a success, and to top it Reddy was ruled out of the last two Tests due to injury.
Stokes however continues to tick along, bowling and batting as if his life depends on it.
The Lord's Test witnessed a similar effort (44, 2/63, 33 & 3/48) but not similar returns, even though they were good enough for Stokes to be named Player-of-the-Match. He later shed light on what keeps him going as an allrounder. 'I've taken myself to some pretty dark places, but if bowling your country to a Test match win doesn't get you excited, I don't know what does,' Stokes had said.
'I was cooked yesterday, but the game was on the line, nothing was stopping me. I'm an all-rounder, I get four opportunities to influence the game, and if one thing doesn't click... I'd like to score more runs, but you don't have a chance to worry about anything.'
This zeal to contribute in any way makes Stokes such an indispensable cricketer even though his peak as a batter hasn't quite coincided with the one as a bowler. Comparisons with Ian Botham are inevitable but unfair, yet it can't be ignored that Stokes has a better batting average and is now level with Botham on 14 hundreds.
Botham's consistency as a bowler is legendary but Stokes hasn't been as lucky because of injuries that forced him to pick his battles. Given he was key to England winning the ODI World Cup in 2019 and then the reset that has fuelled an entirely new brand of Test cricket, you could say Stokes has done exceptionally well on that front.