Ben Stokes: More than just a cricketing hero

With this superhuman innings, Ben Stokes has ensured that his name will forever be etched into the memories of cricket fans and his legend will be passed on to the kids of the future generations with some figments of imagination.

“Oh yes, he really did hypnotise the bowlers into bowling in his arc, as he hoicked them repeatedly into the western terrace. He also controlled the trajectory of the ball after hitting it, which tantalised the fielders and just fell out of their reach.”

Ben Stokes’s innings has been dissected in every way possible and praise has been heaped on each aspect of his innings. And they will continue to sing paeans for a long time when they talk about this Test or even this Ashes series.

But when I was discussing this innings with my brother, he asked me a question that made me see this spectacle from a different aspect. He asked me what I had learnt from this innings for my life.

Frankly, I was surprised by his question, which has inspired this article. It is a very important question that anyone who takes this sport seriously would want to ask themselves.

When people make highlight reels of the innings, no one would add the most important part of the innings, which was the 50 balls he faced on Day 3, scoring only two runs.

The fact that this was coming from the batsman who hit the fastest 250 at Cape Town three years ago was no surprise, because there’s no batsman in the current age who rises to the occasion as well as Stokes does.

England had been skittled out for 67 in less than 30 overs in their first innings and Stokes was no exception to the recklessness shown by the batsmen in that dig. But he learnt from his mistake and understood that one misjudgement by him would have meant that England could kiss their hopes of regaining the Ashes goodbye.

Like the foundations of a skyscraper that lend strength to the building but remain hidden beneath the ground, Stokes scrapped his way to two off 50 balls, ensuring that England were left with a glimmer of hope when they came out to bat on Day 4.

When Root fell before the second new ball arrived, the burden of the run chase squarely fell on the broad shoulders of Stokes. The arrival of Bairstow stoked within him the fire he needed to later change his tempo.

Bairstow’s wicket after lunch on Day 4 caused a collapse where England lost five wickets for 41 runs and Stokes was left with the No.11 Jack Leach, with a seemingly insurmountable task of scoring 73 runs to win the match.

He switched gears, realising that it was now or never. After being on three off 73 balls, he scored 74 runs off 45 balls in that partnership of 76 with Leach, which was as much about boundary-hitting as it was about farming the strike.

(Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The switch hit and the paddle scoop – both of which went for sixes – were shots he couldn’t have pulled off if he hadn’t backed himself to clear the fence. That confidence earned him a bit of luck as well, which manifested itself in the sixes that just cleared the fielders and the umpiring error off Lyon.

The self belief that he showed throughout that innings – where he battled cramps, great bowling, a hard new ball and wickets falling on the other end – is what I hope to emulate in every walk of life.

If we can put in that amount of enthusiasm in our lives at least once a week, it can really bring about a transformation. And it is easy to forget that this innings came after bowling close to 25 overs unchanged, the spell broken only by the end of play on Day 2 and a short toilet break on Day 3.

Don’t forget the three wickets he bagged in the process as well, bending his back when all the other bowlers had pretty much lost hope. Shane Warne said that he’s the guy that trains the hardest in the nets, and his effort in the sweltering heat on Sunday is one for the ages.

If I can have just one takeaway from this knock, it’s the old cliche: “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings”.

The innings itself almost completes his redemption after the forgettable brawl that led him to miss the 2017-18 Ashes where the Aussies dished out a 4-0 thrashing.

We have always had a soft spot for imperfect heroes who make mistakes, then redeem themselves successfully. There’s a reason people love Maverick more than Iceman in Top Gun. Ben Stokes is one such guy. He’s made terrible mistakes and paid the price. But the way he has transformed his life and his cricketing career after that is commendable.

Lesser men would have been shattered by that final in 2016. Great men might never have come back after a year-long ban while in their prime. Stokes, though, has always found a way.

He exhibits in his life the never-say-die attitude that he showcased on Sunday. Everyone faces tough times, and no one would have walked the face of this planet without feeling as if the world around them has come crashing down at least a few times.

What differentiates the great from their contemporaries is their ability to bounce back from it all and put their best foot forward in life. That probably is the most important lesson that people who have tracked Stokes’ career closely would have learnt.

Thirty-eight years ago, the last legendary English all-rounder Ian Botham took the Ashes by storm in another Leeds Test, as England squared the series after being 1-0 down and later went on to win the Ashes.

If this match in Leeds galvanizes the English team like it did then, and England regain the urn, the Stokes redemption will be complete. For that, he’ll have to play a hand similar to what Beefy did – he was man of the match in three of the six Tests in that series.

There’s a reason why people follow sports with all their heart. It’s not just an avenue for vicarious pleasure. It’s a way of life, as Ben Stokes showed on Sunday.