You won’t be surprised to learn that Ben Stokes was very impulsive as a youngster. Those who know him socially talk of a couple of regular occurrences that show to what extent.
When he and some Durham teammates would be out at the university haunts, Stokes, in his late teens to very early twenties at the time but armed with a full-time contract, would buy drinks for everyone at the bar on a whim. Handing out bottles of beers, mixers and shots to passers-by like he was standing atop a crate throwing out care packages to locals. Never expecting anything in return, not even thanks.
Then there were other nights in the north-east when he would suddenly cut a forlorn figure as homesickness consumed him out of the blue. So he’d disappear, call a cab and order the driver to take him to his parents’ house, in Cockermouth, a two-hour drive across the neck of the United Kingdom. The charge was usually in the £200s, including a healthy tip. Stokes still carries the characteristics contained within both stories.
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The generosity was evident when he forced the player-of-the-match trophy upon Dom Sibley for his 133 not out in the second innings despite it being handed to him first. A polite offer turned to a forceful one, as Sibley’s reluctance ended with Stokes having to shove the award into the opener’s bag.
Home is now wherever he is: his clan are out in force in South Africa, albeit with father, Ged, still in a Johannesburg hospital after falling ill on Christmas Eve. Forever at the forefront of his mind, in sickness and health, the 28-year-old dedicated his performance of 119 runs, three wickets and six catches to his old man.
The impulsivity still remains, too, though in a more mature form. For Stokes, in progressing as a man and a cricketer, has been able to reach such great heights over the last seven months by harnessing sharp, untameable qualities into tangible rewards.
Being impulsive is less about going skinny dipping or getting a tattoo as it is about creating a space in the here and now where your past actions are irrelevant and the repercussions down the line are too far to see. Blinders for the eyes in your mind that register consequence and fear. And it is not hard to join the dots to conclude Stokes’ experiences of the worst of these traits have led him to unearth the best of himself.
In building back up from Bristol 2017 and Kolkata 2016, he has fully comprehended not just how important he is to this side week to week, but what precisely they need from him as a transformative figure.
That’s not just the Headingley Miracle, nor this latest Newlands addition to a bursting highlights reel. It’s in the moments where he seems to be doing nothing at all but still makes an impact. Treading water yet, somehow, heading for shore.
At Cape Town, it was across the eight overs straight he bowled from the Wynberg End for 17 that allowed Dom Bess to profit with the wicket of Faf du Plessis. At Leeds, it was again an eight-over spell this time followed by just four balls off when he had to return to replace Jofra Archer, continuing on for 7.2 overs until stumps on day two and resuming with nine overs to kick-off day three. Even at Colombo in November 2018, when he pounded out a 10-over spell in 40-degree heat and the kind of humidity that strips you of so much liquid it needs to be measured by weight.
Three instances, respectively, where victory was not taken for granted, staying limp and accepting defeat was no option nor letting someone else do a job his skill and physicality are built for. 254 deliveries for six dismissals. A monumental effort for seemingly inconsequential gain.
Stokes acknowledged on Tuesday that his final day spell – the gut-buster, not the showstopper – is now a better use of his situational competitiveness, underpinned by an unflappable sense of duty. “There’s no point in just bowling nice seven overs for 10 and not trying to make anything happen,” he told the travelling press. “That’s how my role has changed with the ball, coming on and being someone who can change the game by bowling aggressively or however Joe wants me to.”
There are a few matters for consideration off the back of all this.
It seems destined that statistics will never be a true reflection of his career. There will be many more of those thankless spells, for many more deliveries and even fewer wickets, with more runs conceded and many more in defeat which will tick his bowling average up and, anecdotally, do down his influence.
With the bat, his 258 at Newlands four years ago came through looking to extend his team’s lead, which also contributed to falling short of a speedy Test hundred at the same venue four years on. There’ll never be accusations of him boosting his mean with red ink. Averages of 36 with the bat and 32 with the ball may not improve much despite his improvements.
And surely, now, Stokes should now be used more as an all-rounder than a batsman who bowls as and when. A top six batter, now set in stone, deserving of a promotion from the fifth seamer position. He has beasted himself on fitness well enough to not simply be a glorified mask for the lack of pace, swing or accuracy that afflicts those in front of him on any given day.
The most prescient takeaway from Stokes’ immense body of work since last year’s World Cup is that, however laudable his characteristics, they come from a state of being that is not conducive to captaincy. Yes, he possesses a sharp tactical mind, is the best computer of an opponent’s weaknesses and a totem for the standards to strive towards. Yet how would he not encounter clutch situations and not settle on himself as the best man for any job? He needs to be protected from his best intentions.
That’s the downside to all this. That Stokes, for this genius, will likely go down as the best captain, the best batsman and the best bowler this country never had. An arm without a band and columns under-filled. None of it is any bother for a player with no thought of rectifying his figures nor sitting back in the future and admiring them.
Just as all generational greats are to their teams, Stokes is the perfect fit for this England: an open collective embracing their flux of personnel and performing best when playing reflexive cricket. Generous, welcoming and impulsive.
