He may not yet have strapped his pads on in anger – though that moment is only days away – but Ben Stokes has made his first significant contribution to England’s World Cup campaign: delivering a speech in the dressing room after the dismal defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday that has helped to bolster the team’s crushed morale.
It is a job he has done before, in Melbourne when England lost against Ireland in the T20 World Cup last year – after which they won every remaining game to take the trophy. “He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways,” said Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach. “He certainly spoke really well the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves.
