Stokes’ statesmanship is pivotal for England
TREVOR BAYLISS identified Ben Stokes as the heartbeat of his young England side as soon as he took charge last summer and rarely has he demonstrated it more vividly than with his decisive intervention in the thrilling first one-day international.
Stokes is used to influencing games with bat, ball and on the field but now, in his new role as acting vice-captain to Jos Buttler, he proved equally adept with words just as Bangladesh looked poised to cruise to an opening victory on home soil.
It looked certain that Bangladesh would take a 1-0 lead in the three-match 50-over series when two of their most experienced players in Imrul Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan had guided them to 271 for four chasing 310 to win.
Enter Stokes who, certainly until the last year or so, would have been considered more inclined to hotheadedness than statesmanship but who timed his rallying call to a wilting England team to perfection.
‘It felt like something needed to happen,’ said Stokes, who had earlier made his maiden one-day hundred to seemingly lead England to a formidable position.
‘I did ask Jos two overs earlier whether, rather than hoping things would go our way and waiting for a wicket before we could all get together, it was worth calling everyone in for a two-minute chat?
‘But we were quite tight on our over-rates and then luckily Imrul got cramp and we were able to do it. It was simply me saying: “We know what we’ve got to defend and if we can take two quick wickets you never know what might happen”. Luckily then Jake Ball got two in two after I said that, so it worked well!
‘The two guys who were in were going to win the game unless we got them out and a talk like that just switches everyone back on.
‘After that, everyone went away and thought: “Here we go, let’s try and get a couple out and then kill them off”. And that’s what happened.’
So from a position where the home side, roared on by a partisan 25,000 crowd, needed just 39 more runs off 51 balls with six wickets in hand they capitulated to debutant Ball and Adil Rashid to lose by 21 runs.
Job done for an England side who have had to deal with unprecedented security on this trip and now start the second one-dayer in Dhaka this morning.
More visible leadership in the field is exactly what Stokes has been encouraged to offer by assistant coach Paul Farbrace.
Stokes added: ‘Farby said to me before the series that Jos has got a lot on his plate and gave me the freedom to go and talk something through with the bowler.
‘I think I’ve got enough experience now to understand stuff in the field and I think Jos is happy for me to do things like that.’