It will come as no surprise to hear England’s best day of Test cricket for a long while came off the back of a return to form of one of its greats in waiting.
And no, that last bit is not presumptuous. For Ben Stokes, on accomplishments and broad statistics right now, will undoubtedly go down as one of the country’s most influential cricketers. Just as the memories of how impactful he can be were starting to blur, the 30-year-old unfurled a classic display to tilt the odds of victory in this second Test at Barbados in England’s favour.
With 120 off 128 deliveries, his 11th Test hundred, he shook West Indies to their core, allowing the tourists to declare their first innings on 507 for nine with so much of the game still to play, even 27 overs of day two. Enough time for debutant Matt Fisher to take a wicket with his second ball in Test cricket, and the hosts to make it to stumps on a solid 71 for one.
There are ways of scoring centuries, and there are Ben Stokes ways of scoring centuries. And the beauty of the latter is contained within its ferocity. The first 89 runs came off 92 deliveries, all in a morning session of 125: the bulk of his 11 fours and six sixes coming in a passage of play that even that early felt match-turning. Joe Root, with 153, a culpable observer. And among the thrill of it all was the emotion carried by Stokes when he nudged a single into the leg side to move to 100 off ball number 114. He looked to the heavens, in relief and appreciation, saluting that finger-less salute to his father Ged, who passed away in December 2020 after a battle with brain cancer. This was Ben’s first century since.
In a way, Dan Lawrence’s dismissal to the very last ball of day one might have been a blessing. Stokes then had the evening to prepare to face up the next morning, a luxury rarely, if ever, afforded to number five batters. Not that Stokes has ever suffered from a lack of motivation or desire to get out to the middle.
Since returning to the fold following a break for physical and mental health reasons, Stokes has been chasing the game, to an extent. He threw himself into the Ashes undercooked, averaged just 23.6 with the bat and bowled himself into the ground, so much so that he arrived in the Caribbean with uncertainty if he’d be able to bowl enough to be considered an allrounder. Then he sent down 41 overs in the first Test, of course, and was the most effective on show.
But batting the way he does, particularly in a team that doesn’t exactly do that well, was always going to be the most necessary aspect of his game on this reset tour. And amid the laps of outfields in the lead-up has been hours in the nets rediscovering his touch. One that was peerless on Thursday morning in Bridgetown.
Off the back of a good night’s sleep and 244 for three behind him, Stokes got off the mark creaming his 11th delivery down the ground for four. A straight six - right after a reverse sweep - off Veerasamy Permaul moved England beyond 300. Another off the same bowler took him to 51 from 73 deliveries.
For a moment, a century in a session looked on. He’d done it before in that 2015 epic at Newlands against South Africa, in a 258 that bore uncanny resemblance to the manner of his stroke play here, rocketing anyone and everything to the boundary. The 114th over was the explosion of the firework: Alzarri Joseph the unfortunate soul on the wrong end. Three fours started the over, before it closed with an audacious six straight down the ground, with Stokes momentarily off his feet completely, as if leaping into a Street Fighter-style uppercut.
It moved Stokes to 87 (from just 89 balls) and on to the top table of allrounders to have 5,000 Test runs and more than 150 wickets that now requires a fifth seat. He joins Jacques Kallis, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Sir Garfield Sobers, who was in the stands to watch over the latest inductee.
Meanwhile at the other end, with the best view in the house, Root was quietly polishing his 12th score of 150 or more. And it said a lot that even with his own brilliance, the fact he faced nine of the final 12 deliveries through to lunch meaning Stokes went into the break on 89 carried a tinge of disappointment. Then again, a delay at the start of proceedings because of faulty sightscreens could also be held responsible.
Root was sent on his way seven balls into the afternoon session, adjudged LBW to Kemar Roach upon review. With that, Stokes played it safe to three figures, picking off the remaining 11 from 14 balls, culminating in a tip-and-run to get him over the line.
The morning beast awoke after Jonny Bairstow (20) skied Joseph to Nkrumrah Bonner at deep square leg. The following over, Stokes sparked Kraigg Brathwaite’s sedate off spin to midwicket and (just) over long on for back-to-back sixes. An attempt at a hat-trick was skewed into the nervy hands of Shamarh Brooks.
The ovation as he strode off was of gratitude: for the spectacle and the position he had engineered on the strength of his own will. At 424 for six, with the best part of 50 overs to go on day two, England had sped ahead while dragging West Indies along the way.
Chris Woakes (41) and Ben Foakes (33) profited from a beleaguered attack, scoring 58 between them to take the tourists into tea on 482 for six. Foakes was stumped after the break, and Woakes soon followed with a mistimed hook, though not before swiping Roach to square leg for a four to take England beyond 500. Upon the stumping of Jack Leach, adding some necessary gloss on Permaul’s figures (three for 126 from 35.5 overs) Root called them all in.
Sharing the new ball with Woakes, Fisher’s first delivery was carved to the offside boundary by Campbell before the left-hander flicked an edge through to Foakes for the Yorkshireman’s maiden dismissal. Fisher came close to a second when Brooks edged low to Zak Crawley, but low enough for the ground to assist the catch and subsequently be adjudged “not out” upon an umpire review.
Fellow newbie Saqib Mahmood was brought into the attack after 17 overs, and bowled tidily. By that point Brathwaite (28 not out) and Brooks (31) had settled themselves, making it to stumps in good order with a solid stand of 57 and counting. That they are 436 behind needs to be ignored if they are to avoid defeat in this Test.
Of particular interest going forward was the encouragement in the pitch for Leach. Turn and even variable bounce, both of which almost saw the back of Brathwaite. A review, revealing a thin outside edge, saved the opener. But it was the kind of delivery that will prey on all minds going forward, not just his.
