Ben Stokes has revealed being sledged relentlessly by David Warner was the motivation behind his stunning match-winning century against Australia at Headingley in August.
Stokes’ unbeaten 135 that inspired England to a one-wicket win to level the Ashes series at 1-1 has been widely lauded as the greatest innings of all time as the hosts chased down 369 to win thanks to his unlikely 76-run last wicket-stand with Jack Leach.
Australia somehow managed to lose the Test after bowling England out for 67 in their first innings and Stokes said silencing Warner, who endured a shocking series which saw him average just over nine, made it all the more satisfying.
“He just wouldn’t shut up for most of my time out there,” Stokes said of Warner, in his new book On Fire, which has been serialised in the Daily Mirror newspaper.
“I had extra personal motivation due to some things that were said to me out on the field on the evening of day three when I was trying to get through to stumps.
“A few of the Aussies were being quite chirpy but, in particular, David Warner seemed to have his heart set on disrupting me.
“I could accept it from just about any other opponent. Truly. Not from him, though.”
Stokes, who scored only three runs off his first 73 balls after arriving at the crease on the Saturday evening was dropped on 34 by Warner who then did all he could to get under his skin.
“The changed man he was adamant he’d become, the one that hardly said boo to a goose and even went as far as claiming he had been re-nicknamed ‘Humble’ by his Australia team-mates, had disappeared,” Stokes wrote.
“Maybe his lack of form in his new guise had persuaded him that he needed to get ‘the bull’ back?
“Although he’d enjoyed a prolific World Cup campaign, he had struggled with the bat at the start of the Ashes and was perhaps turning to his old ways to try to get the best out of himself. The nice guy act had done nothing for his runs column.”
“The more time passed, the more it spurred me on. All kinds of ideas of what I might say to him at the end of the game went through my head.
“In the end, I vowed to do nothing other than shake his hand and say ‘Well done’ if I could manufacture the situation.
“You always shake the hands of every member of the opposing team at the end of a match. But this one would give me the greatest sense of satisfaction.”
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
"Oh dear! You don’t expect the standards you set for Warner to be demonstrated by yourself?" I guess you just answered that. It's becoming obvious from your other comments, too.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Don such a silly comment. Have you worked out this forum is not a cricket game? And Warner fully deserves the judgement I give him and many other 1000s of fans agree. After sand paper gate I believed Warner should have been given a life ban from all forms of the game. Nothing has changed since to make me review this judgement.
Diplomatt
Guest
I do look forward to Stokes' ghost writer explaining why he had his hands around his wife's throat at the Professional Cricketers' Association Awards. Say what you will about Warner but at least he isn't a woman beater.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
So England's version of David Warner is upset that Australia's version of Ben Stokes was apparently not so nice to him. And it conveniently hits the press the same time as his book comes out....
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
Punching a drunk who has his hands up begging for mercy is hardly an indication of form...
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I haven't advocated constant sledging. Like bouncers, it only works when used sparingly. I hope people get what l mean without writing a treatise to rival "War and Peace" explaing every nuance. I think you've jumped to delusions about things l haven't advocated.
Witty banter, is fine and have used it myself when in the field against the opposition captain who was batting at #11, he was dead batting it and I said, "You can't boost your average on 0 mate". He took a huge swing next ball and got bowled, then proceeded to tell me to where a helmet when I bat. However constant sledging is just dumb and boring. Just go out and play the game, if you cant play 5-6 hours of cricket without giving them stick then I question your morals as a person
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Well depends on what you mean by sledging? "You're not even the best cricketer in your family" (said to M Waugh) "Tickets please!" (said to J Miandad). That is the type of thing that is quite acceptable. Help me out with what you don't understand about my position? If the Venn Diagram overlaps with what is offensive, fine, but if it's witty banter.....what's the problem?
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
I'll have to take your opinion on face value as I have never met either of them but you seem to know them well!
Then you're part of the problem, saying you can't say anything about family but sledging is perfectly acceptable. It's this toxic culture of abuse and sledging that led to the ball tampering and See Kock incident. Stop teaching kids that it's fine to give me people crap on the field and just learn how to play a game of cricket....
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You use that kind of language to condemn someone else who you think has used that kind of language? Oh dear! You don't expect the standards you set for Warner to be demonstrated by yourself?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I'd say he is also lying. It's in his make-up. No other Pom mentioned it. No ump reported it. It didn't happen. No self-respecting sportsman has a tattle-tale whinge about a competitor. Let him write a book about his own achievements and his own punch-ups in sleazy night clubs. Let him tell his own story. Why write an autobiography and include Davy Warner? Is his own story not worth telling?
Pierro
Roar Rookie
I agree in general rowdy , personally wouldn’t be sledging about a mans family , its been done before though for sure and VC warner should know better but we know he’s a hot head and wasn’t going to change. He’s probably only got this summer and next summer at best in the side as he gets older and is a liability on overseas tours after that surely they won’t take him back to SA in early 2021 hoping an open steps up by then
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Even worse if thats the case russell. Jim maxwell who road the tour bus straight after the sandpaper gate test said most people were speaking to Smith but no one spoke to warner on the bus ride. His press conf was quite staged after it all. Just had to believe that warner has been nothing but taxic for the side , especially during sandpaper gate and several years before it . So far he’s done nothing with the bat in tests since so the instant selection is questionable despite his decent record in australia. He owes the side thats for sure so he better start cracking some 50s and 100s this summer and keep his cake hole shut and get on with it as he’s lucky to be back in the side
Russell Neville
Roar Rookie
Why am I not surprised to hear this about Warner. If Cricket Australia had more intestinal fortitude they would never have selected him after sandpaper gate. He has proved beyond any doubt that he is a toxic individual and doesn’t deserve to wear the baggy green. I heard from the horse’s mouth that it was Warner that was particularly nasty and went on and on for hours nonstop at De Kok (who is by all accounts a quiet individual), so it seems that Warner got what he deserved. In addition, the video footage of Warner screaming at De Kok looked like the classic “ Hold me back, hold me back or I’ll???”.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Warner may need a diagram on how to 'read' the pictures.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Though l think Warner would have a fire going that'd be hard to stop.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think Stokes is being disingenuous here. Yes Warner was not doing our cause any good. He's not the wittiest sledger by a country mile. ---- Mores the point Stokes couldn't believe his luck in how listlessly Australia was performing as a bowling and fielding unit. ---- Any worse and we would've been laying garlands on the field to escort the ball to the fence.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
When I taught kids I'd say the rules that apply in a workshop are the same as in cricket, footy, league, etc. "You never say anything about another man's partner/family, you never borrow their tools and you never touch another man's food - all else is fair game". ---- Now l know that sound non-PC but at least everyone knew which side their bread was buttered. ---- The result of the 'stairwell almost saga' not being carried through was Warner retreating to a dark hole seething revenge. Now l don't really advocate Warner going the biff we De Kok but, either way, it was not going to end well.
AREH
Roar Guru
But but...hasn't he changed?? I thought he was no longer the antagonistic 'Bull'...makes you laugh doesn't it