Story of the Year: Big Ben ‘stokes’ the passion for winning

Story of the Year: Big Ben ‘stokes’ the passion for winning

The idea behind this piece is to cover the cricketing story of 2019. It was the year of the ODI World Cup and there was no dearth of stories and heroes. The comeback of Smith to his Bradmanesque ways in the Ashes, Warner’s run of scores in spite of a torrid England series, Rohit Sharma’s coming of age as a batsman in all formats, Virat’s overall performance as player and captain, the success of Pat Cummins and how Kane Williamson won hearts and matches at the World Cup; these are some of the high-impact stories of the year. However, one story stands out from the list– that of Ben Stokes.  Two memorable finishes have immortalized him in English cricket; after the Ashes performance he was even spoken of in some circles for Knighthood. The New Zealand born cricketer who moved to England at the age of 12, had made his ODI debut in 2011 and test debut in 2013; but for this story, we are not going that far back in time.

Thinking on the lines of a movie script, let us start with the 2016 World T20 finals. After a slow start to the tournament, Stokes put in a good display in the semifinal win against the Kiwis with figures of 3/26. In the finals, he was entrusted with the responsibility to bowl the last over of the match to Carlos Brathwaite with the Windies need 19 runs to win; he had a good chance to win the game and the tournament for his team. What happened was the worst thing that could happen to a bowler. He went for consecutive sixes, that too four of them, as the Caribbeans won the title at the Eden Gardens!!! Stokes was seen as an all-rounder of promise and this could have shattered many players, but not him; as he would prove in the coming years.

In IPL 2017, he was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) for a huge fee of Rs.14.5 Cr. He had a very good season winning the MoM award thrice and scored a century against Gujarat Lions too. At RPS, he was captained by M S Dhoni who is quite an academy unto himself when it comes to taking a match deep in a chase and then clinching it; something which Ben himself became quite an expert at, in the coming seasons.  However, he was involved in a street brawl in September 2017 that almost ruined his story. He missed the Ashes that year and a few other matches because of the trial; he was charged with affray and later acquitted when it became clear that he was standing up for the right values.  He was sold to Rajasthan Royals in 2018 for Rs. 12.5 Cr, making him the most expensive player that year; the cricket world clearly understanding the value Ben brings to the table.  He is not a swashbuckling batsman, but he reads the game well; puts a price on his wicket and knows when to accelerate, all this while being a handy bowler too.

Now we come to be point of the story of the year; England was hosting the World Cup for the 5th time and got the billing of pre-tournament favorites. Ben Stokes was the MoM in the opening match scoring 89(79 balls) runs; his catch to dismiss Phehlukwayo still fresh in memory. He made vital contributions in the run-up to the finals. At Lord’s, with the title at stake, he put in a masterful innings under pressure, scoring 84* including invaluable runs in the final over, to take the game into a super over. He batted again in the super over; he was the MoM in the finals and the hero of the victory which England got after the super over too ended in a tie, based on the number of fours they scored in the match; notwithstanding the inadvertent deflection off his bat in the 50th over leading to overthrows. We know that MoM performances in World Cup finals can make celluloid blockbusters; but in the case of Ben Stokes, there was more to follow immediately.

The Ashes is the Holy Grail for England cricket fans. At Headingley, in the 4th innings, he took his team to a one –wicket victory with a 135* under tremendous pressure. His 10th wicket partnership with Jack Leach contributed 74 runs, with Jack scoring only one run, the famous single that leveled the scores; the one that he recreated later for fans!!! England was 67 all out in the first innings and till this performance from Stokes, when you talk about a comeback in Headingley, it meant only one match for English fans, the famous 1981 spectacle from the great Ian Botham.

With one World Cup victory to erase the trauma of another World Cup defeat, and with a heroic test win that denied Australia an outright Ashes victory; Ben Stokes has clearly put the ghosts of 2016 and 2017 behind him; the turnaround is complete now. Today if we talk about the game’s best finishers, we cannot forget the name of Benjaimin Andrew Stokes, OBE.

Vishnu Govind

As a professional, he is passionate about building brands and businesses. As a sports enthusiast, he brings in his bias for data-driven approach while analysing the happenings on the cricket field.

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