Even before he was appointed the skipper in 2022, Ben Stokes had been a leader in his own right. The talismanic all-rounder was one of the driving forces behind England’s charge to the 2019 World Cup crown on home turf and cemented his legacy with a stunning unbeaten 135 in the third Ashes Test a few weeks later in Leeds, hauling his side to a one-wicket victory after adding 76 for the last wicket with No. 11 Jack Leach.
Stokes’s career has been a series of dizzying highs and unedifying lows. He was at the receiving end of four consecutive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite that took West Indies to the T20 World Cup crown in Kolkata in 2016 while the following year, he was involved in a nightclub brawl in Bristol and charged with affray, of which he was subsequently cleared. Two years on, he became the toast of the nation with his exploits at the World Cup and in the Ashes, and hasn’t looked back since.
Misadventures in 2017
Stokes temporarily lost his vice-captaincy after his 2017 misadventures, but was the natural successor when, after a disastrous run including a 0-4 loss in Australia and a series defeat in the West Indies, Joe Root stepped down as the skipper. Alongside Brendon McCullum — like the former Kiwi skipper, Stokes too was born in New Zealand (Christchurch) — he reinvented England’s approach to Test cricket, taking them from a spluttering, hesitant, fear-laden outfit to a carefree, adventurous unit that has breathed new life into the five-day game.
What makes Stokes’s journey even more remarkable is the numerous trysts with injuries and his propensity to come back stronger after every surgery. Even as recently as last year, he picked up a hamstring injury in Hamilton which required going under the surgeon’s scalpel in December. At 34, he is not the youngest, but the fire is still burning bright, his passion undimmed and his desire to take his side to unprecedented heights as strong as ever.
Natural leader
Stokes has this unparalleled trait of making the extraordinary appear commonplace, so it’s no surprise that his players organically gravitate towards him. Despite being the captain, he is still one of the boys, but he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. With the bat, he can go from somnambulistic to explosive within seconds, a slice of magic is never too far away when he’s in the field and when he gets hold of the ball, he will send down long spells without flagging, happy to do the dirty jobs such as bowling from round the stumps and bashing the ball into the pitch over after over if that’s what the game situation dictates.
Having led England to 21 wins in 34 Tests, his win percentage of 61.76 is the highest of all captains to have led the team in more than 30 matches, though Root (27), Michael Vaughan (26), Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss (both 24) have been at the helm in more Test wins. It’s only a matter of time before Stokes climbs the rungs to the top of the ladder, which will be a fitting tribute to his all-round brilliance.
61.76
Ben Stokes’s win percentage as Test captain — the highest by an England skipper (minimum 30 matches), with 21 victories in 34 games
