Redemption for rebel with the Maori tattoos
BORN and raised in New Zealand and with an armful of Maori tattoos, Ben Stokes makes an unlikely England hero.
Indeed, barely 18 months ago, the 8year-old was facing a possible prison sentence for his part in a disgraceful late-night brawl outside a nightclub.
But in a remarkable redemption, Stokes yesterday batted his way to hero status as he helped his adopted country beat the Kiwis by the narrowest of margins.
Watched by 30,000 fans at Lord’s and a global TV audience of one billion, Stokes produced one of the most outlandish cricket displays ever seen.
As England’s hopes of winning the world cup looked to be fading, Stokes hit a massive six in the final over of regular play before fluking six more runs next ball. After the super over – cricket’s equivalent of a penalty shootout – in which he hit eight runs, an ecstatic Stokes described the encounter as the greatest of all time.
‘I am lost for words to be honest,’ he said. ‘So much hard work has gone in, this is what we aspire to be. I don’t think there will ever be a better game in cricket than that.’
The heroics will almost certainly lead to a surge in income for a player who is already among the world’s highestpaid. In 017, he signed a £1.7million contract to play in India. His England and Wales Cricket Board contract is worth another £1million.
Stokes lives with wife Clare and children Layton and Libby in a five-bedroom house in County Durham, which they bought from convicted sex offender footballer Adam Johnson for £1.7million.
He arrived in England as a 1 - year-old when his father Gerard – who was yesterday cheering on the Kiwis – was offered a job as a rugby coach.
In 017 Stokes found himself at the heart of a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub. He was charged with affray after a night spent drinking lager, vodka and shots. CCTV footage showed him hitting co-defendant Ryan Ali, 8, and former soldier Ryan Hale, 7, with such force that both were knocked out. Stokes was dropped as England vice-captain as a result and further lost out on an Ashes tour place.
The Durham player was eventually cleared. However he was fined £15,000 by the cricket authorities after pleading guilty to bringing the game into disrepute. A further £15,000 was levied against him over social media footage of him mocking the disabled son of Katie Price.
In 011, he was arrested and cautioned for obstructing police during a night out in Cumbria. In 013, he was sent home in disgrace after he ignored a curfew to enjoy a boozy night out in Australia. Teammates duly nicknamed him ‘ The Hurt Locker’ when in 014, he broke his hand by punching a dressingroom locker in anger.
Given his past, yesterday’s success was all the more remarkable.