It is conceivable that none of England’s greatest cricketing successes over the last five years would have happened without Ben Stokes. The 2019 World Cup, the miracle at Headingley and the 2023 Twenty20 World Cup success hinged on the abilities of one man, who has most recently transformed England’s Test fortunes.
Born in Christchurch, Stokes moved to Cumbria aged 12 after his father was appointed rugby league coach in the area, and New Zealand’s loss proved to be England’s gain.
Stokes’ first Test century came in the hostile conditions at Perth during the ill-fated 2013-14 Ashes, where the then-22-year-old became only the third Englishman to score a century in the city since 1987.
It included hitting Nathan Lyon back over his head which was a sign of things to come – notably the aggressive approach which now defines his England team. Stokes maintained his composure despite wickets tumbling all around him, while England lost the Ashes.
The 2016 T20 World Cup final was one of Stokes’ toughest moments on the cricket pitch. England were on course to victory, but Carlos Brathwaite took Stokes for four successive sixes in the final over of the match to seal an unforgettable West Indies win.
Stokes’ career has been far from straightforward however, and by his own admission in an Amazon Prime documentary called Phoenix from the Ashes which premiered last year, Stokes came close to turning his back on English cricket.
In 2017 Stokes was charged, and cleared, of affray for an incident outside a Bristol nightclub while on international duty where he was involved in a punch up while reportedly defending two men being subject to homophobic abuse.
Speaking to documentary director Sam Mendes, Stokes said of the incident: “'I've never spoken about it because I wasn't allowed to. That's the stupid thing.
“The media can say whatever they want every single day – pieces of s***. They just reported whatever they thought was detrimental to me.
“Quite a lot happened throughout that whole time. I missed the Ashes, lost the vice-captaincy.
“I've sometimes said to myself if I'd just let it all happen and walked on, I wouldn't be here, it wouldn't have happened. But I probably would never have forgiven myself for walking past something like that.”
After a five-month absence, including missing the 2017-18 Ashes down under and being stripped of the vice-captaincy, Stokes returned to the international fold.
Almost a year and a half later it was the 2019 World Cup final where then-captain Eoin Morgan hailed Stokes’ “almost superhuman” effort as he made an unbeaten 84 to take the game into the super over, before batting again in one of the most extraordinary finals ever.
But on 25 August, 2019, Stokes would produce a performance that eclipsed all others on the grandest stage. He batted the innings of a lifetime during the Ashes, making 135 as England chased down their then highest-ever winning total of 362 for nine, having been bowled out for 67 in the first innings, to level the series against Australia at 1-1, with the sides eventually drawing the series 2-2.
For anyone in the ground or watching on TV, it was impossible to tear your eyes away from the feat and the drama that occurred, with Stokes’ celebration — leaning back, bat in hand with arms outstretched — one of the most iconic cricketing photos of the century.
Stokes would then take a break from cricket in 2021, after a finding himself in “a real dark place”, to protect his mental health from the intense schedule in cricket.
“I think it shows great courage,” Root, Stokes’ captain at the time, said of his teammate. “Great bravery to come out and speak openly about that stuff and some the struggles he has personally been through”
Emerging refreshed and healthy, having also recovered from a fractured finger, Stokes returned in the 2021/22 Ashes series.
But England would go on to lose 4-0 to their fiercest rivals, sparking a major shake-up in 2022, which resulted in Stokes and new head coach Brendon McCullum reviving England from a dismal run of just one Test win in 17 matches. The result, which few would have predicted, has arguably transformed Test cricket, an achievement in itself as the sport is typically resistant to change.
England have smashed records at will, scored 500 in a day and won every series they have played, since Stokes took the helm, and arguably would not have been able to do so without his leadership.
McCullum put it succinctly, saying of Stokes over the winter: “The skipper has a strong mind and he knows how to get right for the big moments. His life is that, right?”
Stokes is truly one for the big moments, and has proved time and again he is capable of the impossible. No one watching the final day of the Headingley test match in 2019 would have bet on an England victory at the start of the day, and those watching the World Cup final that year were losing faith in their side’s chances before his innings.
The Ashes will be his biggest Test as captain, and is the yardstick by which any England side, and their skipper, is measured. A glorious victory would undoubtedly raise his profile and put him in the discussion for who is England's greatest cricketer, but defeat would undoubtedly lead to questions from some parts of the cricketing world over England’s approach.
