All hail Ben the centurion... a genius showman who ticks every box
SIMPLY to join the list of England cricketers who have won 100 Test caps, you must be one of the all-time greats, and the journey requires several facets: longevity, skill and mental toughness among them. Within your particular discipline, you have to be the complete player, achieving a world-class standard and sustaining it while coping with the mental and physical pressures of competing at international level. All while spending lots of time away from home and family. Appearing on this list means you have made an outstanding contribution to English cricket.
But the thing that sets apart Ben Stokes, who will become the 16th Englishman to reach the milestone tomorrow, is that he has completed the near-impossible task of ticking every box as an international cricketer. Sir Geoffrey Boycott was a great batter, but didn’t bowl much. England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, the ridiculously talented Jimmy Anderson (pictured, right), is a No 11.
Sir Ian Botham, England’s greatest cricketer in my opinion, didn’t possess some of the leadership skills of others. A captain as revered as Mike Brearley failed to make the list, because he couldn’t hold down a place on his batting. Stokes has all bases covered. On batting alone, he would be in my XI. He has been an exceptional bowler too, moving the ball sideways as well as anyone in spells during a career in which, but for injury, he’d have taken many more than 197 Test wickets. As an all-rounder he’d be up there with Botham and Andrew Flintoff, selected as one of six batters or four seamers. It is debatable whether there has been a more complete fielder for England. Who can forget the remarkable grab off Stuart Broad in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in 2015? Or the run out of Ravindra Jadeja from mid-on in the first Test at Hyderabad last month? He is also the complete showman. He doesn’t just grind out scores in the manner of Sir Alastair Cook. This is a man who puts bums on seats.
And the final tick in the box has come through his outstanding captaincy. Stokes’ career has been full of genius. Like the unbeaten, match-winning hundred against Australia at Headingley in 2019. But there has also been an understanding of team-mates who can’t reach those heights. His two years in charge have been transformative. Only Eoin Morgan is comparable as an England captain who successfully overhauled a style of play overnight. I am so grateful that Stokes stuck around to look after Test cricket, when others might have chosen to wander off into a franchise sunset at the age of 30. His statistics are excellent. His average with the bat, 36. With the ball, 32 — some frontline bowlers would be comfortable with that. His win ratio of 66.66 per cent is better than any England captain to have tasted victory half a dozen times. When it gets tough, he comes into his own. Everyone talks about that fourth innings in Leeds five years ago, but do not forget the marathon spell before it to keep Australia in range. There have been numerous examples of him pushing himself to the physical limits.
And he’s been through the ups and downs of life — the mental health issues, well-documented off-field incidents — but come back strongly each time. Every person on the list will have had to go through downturns. An England career is never a steady curve. There will have been times when the other 15 doubted themselves. None have had the range of tools that fill Stokes’ kitbag though, and that is what makes our 16th centurion different.