10 MORE YEARS AT TOP
My body might have other ideas but I’m hoping it’s another great decade
There will be more highs with this side
A DECADE ago, Ben Stokes was nervously anticipating his debut as a first-class cricketer.
His career was about to kick-start with a leg-side clip off the bowling of Steve Kirby, followed up by the wicket of Gloucestershire stalwart Alex Gidman. The rest is glorious history.
Ten years on, the great all-rounder is in the same boat as the rest of us, concerned as the world tries to pull through this unprecedented coronavirus crisis.
But Stokes is also looking forward to emerging from this tunnel – and starting his second phase as a sporting icon. “Another decade? That is the plan,” he said. “The body might have other ideas but let’s hope so.
“I remember my debut. It was for Durham against an MCC side in Abu Dhabi – the traditional match the county champions play. It started on March 29, we batted and I didn’t get in until the following day. Blimey, I was 18.
“A lot has happened since then, a lot of highs and lows, and hopefully there will be more highs over the next 10 years. “And, with this England side, I genuinely think there will be. “I think we have a great blend. It is a settled squad with some young and exciting players coming through – players who have shown, in their short careers, that they are capable of delivering.”
Stokes is referring to the likes of Ollie Pope, Sam Curran, Zak Crawley, Dom Bess and Tom Banton among others. “We have a group of players around 20, 21, 22 who have demonstrated they can perform. From a senior player’s point of view, that is great because they are only going to get better,” he said.
“In four or five years we could be in a seriously good place, hopefully the best team in the world.”
Stokes’ Test debut was in Australia for the 2013-14 Ashes series, which ended in England being whitewashed.
“My first Test was nervewracking,” he recalled.
“It was at the Adelaide Oval, which has got so much history about it.
“My first wicket was Brad Haddin but it got taken off me because it was a no-ball. I then got Michael Clarke. The Australian captain for your first wicket is not bad.
“It was a decent series for me personally – I got my first Test hundred and had some success, which gave me the confidence I could do it at the highest level.
“We got beaten 5-0 but I took the positives out of it. It opened my eyes up to what international cricket is all about.
“It toughened me up. You could tell the difference between first-class cricket and international cricket.” But Stokes then suffered a drop in form and found himself out of the England set-up. “The next season was one of the lows,” he said.
“I had a stinker and got dropped from the Test team. I found that tough but I went away and asked what I needed to do to get back into the team.
“My goal had been to be a permanent player in the England team and that got knocked, so I just worked as hard as I could. Rather than sulk and moan I wanted to go away and make myself better.” Stokes has certainly done that over the past decade, culminating in an epic 2019 which ended with him being voted Sports Personality of the Year.
“I still can’t put one above the other – the World Cup win or Headingley,” he said, referring to his batting heroics against Australia at Leeds.
“But what was more important was that at the end of the World Cup, we had a trophy. Personal performances like the one at Headingley are great but they have to contribute to a win.
“I would much rather me not do well and we win than I do well and we lose. Winning is what means most. If I can contribute towards that, then great. But nothing else really matters.”