I’LL SHOW WHY I’M A BIG CATCH
Stokes motivated to work harder by record-breaking IPL fee
BEN STOKES reckons his record-breaking IPL fee will motivate him to work even harder to prove his worth.
But the £1.7million man is still coming to terms with the biggestever jackpot paid for an overseas cricketer and revealed he finds it difficult to talk about.
He is already wealthy, but this pay packet puts him into another realm and the all-rounder is feeling the weight of his price tag.
“I’ve found it very tough to talk about,” said Stokes, 25, on the boundary of the Sir Viv Richards ground in Antigua.
“It’s one of those things that makes me a bit awkward. I’ve had time to think about it and let it settle in, but to put it into words is hard. I’m not sure why. I don’t know how to talk about stuff like that.
“It’s a good thing to think about. I’m wouldn’t say I’m going to rest on my laurels and slip off now. If anything, it gives me more drive to work even harder. You see success can get you things like this. And wanting to be successful for many more years will probably give me more motivation to work harder.”
Not that Stokes does not work hard now. He has come a long way from the inconsistent player who broke his hand punching a locker in frustration in the Caribbean three years ago. He is now the Test vice-captain, world class in every format, and having been hit for four sixes in four balls to lose a World T20 final, he knows what triumph and disaster feel like.
Friday’s duel between him and the man who launched those sixes, Carlos Brathwaite, is a juicy prospect, although they have already met this trip.
“I saw him at a function the other night and he’s still as big as he was back then,” added Stokes. “We caught up and had a chat.
“You put the bad performances behind you, just as you do the good ones because you’re only as good as your next game and we’ve got three big games against a team like the West Indies, who can hit the ball out of the park at will.”