At the end of Day 2, England are playing the catch-up game after Australia declared at 442-7 with an unbeaten 126 from Shaun Marsh.
The dropped catch Marsh on 102 when James Vince knocked Alastair Cook when he almost had the catch says plenty for how the tour has been for England. So close yet so far.
It’s really hard to fault England. They were bowling well but perhaps the only criticism was they needed more patience. But it was not a bad bowling performance. Stuart Broad was terrific for his 2-fer and so was James Anderson but both were unlucky. So many plays and misses, so many squaring ups, so many edges landing short… it could have been so different on another day.
Craig Overton did decently to pick up three on debut while snaring the important wicket of Steve Smith. Moeen Ali, with a finger injury, continues to worry.
That’s where a guy like Ben Stokes could make a difference. Not only he has got the knack of providing crucial breakthroughs but he can also take the game away from opposition sides with his breathtaking batting and electric fielding.
As a pure batsman, he can walk into any playing XI, just ask South African. The scares he left on their attack during his knock of 258 against the Proteas were immense.
In the first Test against India in 2016-17, Stokes again combined with Moeen Ali and Alastair Cook to post a huge total. His hundred at the WACA in 2013-14 raised a few alarm bells in the Australian camp – they knew they had witnessed something special.
Whether it’s home or away, Ben Stokes has been equally good in all facets of the game. He has scored centuries in England, South Africa, India and Australia.
With the ball, he has five-wicket hauls in Australia, India and England.
His value could be judged from the fact that his 316 runs and 12 wickets in the IPL for Rising Pune Supergiants took them to the final after being decimated in the 2016 season.
His comeback to cricket recently for Canterbury has been average by his standard, scoring two runs of seven balls and going wicketless for 49 runs in nine overs. But surely expect the buzz, atmosphere of the Ashes to bring that extra class out of a player like Stokes. That’s what has made him the MVP of the team.
In a tough tour like Ashes and given how close it is getting to be, a run-out, a crucial wicket or even converting half chances could make or break the opposition. Just look to the 2015 Ashes match at Nottingham when Stokes took a diving catch to remove Adam Voges which started a collapse, with Australia going down to 60 all out. His 6/36 in second innings helped England win the series and regain the Ashes.
Genuine all-rounders are very few and far between in today’s era – the days of Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev and Ian Botham are long gone.
In today’s generation, barring Shakib Al-Hasan, Ben Stokes is the only one of this rare breed. An all-rounder is like a bitcoin in today’s generation – its stock goes higher with each passing day.
A good team can become an excellent team with the balance an all-rounder adds to the line-up. Given the performance of England so far, they will need to step up their game if they want to even dream of retaining the Ashes.
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