Skipper Ben has stoked England’s fire with his captaincy skills
Updated On: 30 June, 2025 08:24 AM IST | Birmingham | R Kaushik
From experiencing personal highs to unedifying lows, the gutsy skipper has reinvented the country’s approach to Test cricket, taking them from a spluttering, and hesitant fear-laden outfit to a carefree, adventurous unit
Listen to this article :
England skipper Ben Stokes (centre) celebrates with teammates after dismissing India’s Karun Nair on Day Two of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, last week. Pic/Getty Imaes
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.
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT