'Ben has changed the game': Pope

As England skipper Stokes gears up to play his 100th Test in Rajkot on Thursday, vice-captain Ollie says all-rounder has been an amazing leader and performs well under pressure

Before you’ve realised it, England captain Ben Stokes, who made his debut in 2013, has  played in 99 Tests. He was spoken of as the next Ian Botham. He has, indeed, matched Botham’s achievements, and even surpassed some, having  scored in excess of 6,000 Test runs, picked up 197 wickets and held 105 catches in a glittering career so far. Botham, on the other hand, scored 5,200 runs, claimed 383 wickets and held on to 120 catches in 102 Tests.  And, Stokes has definitely been a better Test captain than Botham, winning 14 and losing only six in 21 Tests compared to Botham’s zero wins and four losses in 12 Tests as captain.

Come Thursday, the 32-year-old from Durham will be the 16th Englishman, and 76th in Test history, to play 100 Tests and more. Over the last two years, after taking over England’s Test captaincy from Joe Root and under the guidance of New Zealand’s former opener Brendon McCullum, Stokes has changed the way England play the long format. Gone are the days of the old, grinding, copybook style that cricket’s only nation to play in over 1,000 Tests have been known for.

Ollie Pope. Pic/AFP

Winning the team’s belief

Stokes has made everyone in the team buy into his style of captaincy. The confidence he has in his players and the long rope he gives them has allowed them to give their all for him and the country. 

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“For anyone to play 100 Tests is an unbelievable achievement.  He has had his highs and lows. As captain, he has been amazing. He has probably changed the game in a lot of respects. He takes it to a new level when the pressure is on. There are so many unbelievable memories and hopefully, he’ll have a 100 more,” England vice-captain Ollie Pope said after a practice session on Tuesday.

Root was the last Englishman to appear in 100 Tests, getting there on the 2021-21 India tour— in the first Test in Chennai— where he scored 218. 

Quiet celebration

Pope added: “Stokes is not a person who likes it to be all about him. He doesn’t need those accolades, but it’ll be recognised within the group. Away from the crowd, we’ll celebrate.” Stokes, who made it clear that he will not bowl in this series following a knee surgery in November, scored a crucial 70 in Hyderabad and a brisk 47 in Vizag. However, individual scores don’t matter to him as long as England play an entertaining brand of cricket, chasing victory at all costs.

6,251
Total runs scored by Ben Stokes in 99 Tests

197
Total number of Test wickets taken by Stokes

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