Stokes ‘can flourish as England captain’
It will be going against the grain.
Of England’s 80 test captains before Ben Stokes, only 12 have been pace bowlers or pace-bowling all-rounders, and only one of that dozen – the late Bob Willis – made a success of the job in that he won more tests than he lost.
Going against the grain, however, and succeeding where no normal human being would have done, is what Stokes does. From the childhood moment when he climbed into his parents’ car to be driven from west Cumbria to Durham for midweek practice, he has summoned up the energy to become a force of nature. So, just because nobody in English cricket so far has batted, bowled pace and captained well – of the 23 tests in which Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff led, they won two – do not bet against Stokes making a fist of it, starting against West Indies today.
Not one competitive ball has been bowled in England since last September, but during lockdown one of the main reasons for Stokes being what he is has become widely apparent. Many of those in Britain who have been putting their bodies on the front line have been immigrants: there might have been a misconception in some quarters that they worked less hard.
And nobody works harder in English cricket than Ben Stokes, as the media know all too well: when everyone else has finished netting, Stokes does extra laps of the ground, no matter how burning the Sri Lankan or West Indian sun, so that the advertised time of his press conference has always been an hour or so later than advertised.
So committed has Stokes been that nobody now sees him as a New Zealander, which is what he is by birth and was by upbringing until the age of 11.
Had he stayed there, he would no doubt have become a fine allrounder, batting at five behind Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor; but he would surely never have become a force of nature by driving himself the extra yards, in order to be assimilated in his adopted land.
This week, Stokes will be facing challenges he has never encountered, not even on the three occasions he captained Durham junior sides. As an all-rounder, he wants to lead England by example in all three departments – whereas Botham’s batting was less effective than normal when he was captain, and Flintoff’s bowling.
Watching Stokes react to these new challenges will make up for much of the time lost this summer. This chance to lead his adopted country crowns his redemption. He will be on his very best behaviour, although it is just as well Marlon Samuels will not be present to rile him with a salute.
Nasser Hussain has told Cricinfo that Stokes’ workload is too much for him to be the England captain for a prolonged period, with the caveat that one should never bet against Stokes. In a few years’ time, however, after Root’s captaincy, Stokes might be hardly bowling at all, given the state of his knees. In that case, it will be a different equation, and I would not put it past Stokes as a batsman who bowls to succeed as England’s test captain.