CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS

BEN STOKES: PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES

Amazon Prime Video, from Friday August 26

EARLIER this year, New Zealand-born cricketer Ben Stokes OBE succeeded Joe Root as captain of the England Test team, one of the sport’s highest honours.

THE appointment marked the end of a turbulent five years for Stokes, during WHICH he and team-mate Alex Hales WERE charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board with bringing the game into disrepute following a 2017 incident outside a Bristol nightclub.

DIRECTED by Chris Grubb and Luke Mellows, this feature-length documentary invites Stokes to reflect on battles on and off the cricket pitch and the impact on his mental well-being. Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes, who is an executive producer, asks the probing questions on camera.