Ben Stokes’ 2022 one of Test revolution, ODI retirement, T20 redemption and stunning rawalpindi captaincy | Cricket News
Ben Stokes’ 2022 one of Test revolution, ODI retirement, T20 redemption and stunning rawalpindi captaincy | Cricket News
#Ben #Stokes #Test #revolution #ODI #retirement #T20 #redemption #stunning #rawalpindi #captaincy #Cricket #News Welcome to InNewCL, here is the new story we have for you today:
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Earlier in the year, English Test Cricket looked shattered.
The man who would ultimately fix the problem was also a bit busted when Ben Stokes battled a lateral strain in the fourth and fifth games of an Ashes series. England lost 4-0, a blow that came amid a wider malaise from a 17th Test win Matches.
But Stokes has since reverted to rude health and so, in an almost unbelievable way, have England’s Test team. Led by Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s coaching methods, Bazball was born. This ultra-positive cricket brand has racked up nine wins out of 10, breaking run-rate records and defeating opposition bowling attacks. This is Ben Stokes’ England.
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Stokes digests the historic 3-0 win in Pakistan and praises his side’s fearless attitude
Though we didn’t know it then, we got a glimpse of what Ben Stokes’ England might be like when he hit 89 runs in one session during a 114-ball 100 game against the West Indies in March, his first century since his Isles suggested returning from a mental break and the death of his father Ged.
Then, however, we caught another glimpse of what England had been serving up for the past 18 months or so – a collapse in clout – with a surrender in Grenada handing the Tourists a 1-0 defeat. Joe Root resigned as captain soon after, with a man on pole as his successor.
Stokes appeared to be the only realistic candidate with few others aside from him and Root, who were guaranteed a spot in the XI at the time. The Test futures of bowling stars Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad were even up in the air as the duo were banned from the West Indies series by Sir Andrew Strauss, interim chief executive of men’s cricket.
Image: Stokes has revived England’s Test team, propelled them to T20 glory and retired from ODI criicket
Questions have been asked as to whether it was wise to leave England to their most important and influential player, particularly one who had taken time off from sport over the past year to focus on his well-being. Those questions soon evaporated and now it seems amazing that they were asked at all. Results and style showed Stokes was definitely the right man.
Shortly after his appointment and stating he wanted Broad and Anderson back in the England eleven, Stokes made mincemeat of Worcestershire’s bowling attack while battling for Durham in the county championship. Seventeen sixes were smoked in his 88-ball score of 161 — five of them in as many deliveries from poor Pears spinner Josh Baker.
It was an inning full of flair and power as he encouraged his England batsmen to play cricket in the Test. He got what he wanted. England scored 22 Test hundreds in 2022, many of them since Stokes took charge incredibly quickly.
It was a measured but by no means slow 157-ball hundred by Root that got the Stokes era off to a victorious start on an overcast Sunday morning against New Zealand at Lord’s. Any metaphorical clouds that still lingered over England were cleared as they won a Test for the first time since August. There was no looking back. Win plenty. Runs plenty. Fans love Test cricket again.
Stokes reached the winning margin in the next Test at Trent Bridge in front of a packed crowd on day five who had taken advantage of the free-ticket offer, but only after Jonny Bairstow blasted the Black Caps throughout Nottingham in an aftermath. Tea rush and reached his century with just 77 balls.
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Michael Atherton says England’s “incredible transformation” in Test cricket comes from inheriting the aggressive and selfless qualities of Captain Stokes
The skipper then had a brief observation lap at the end of the following two Tests, donning his John Lennon sunglasses on the balcony as Root and Bairstow propelled England to surprise victories over New Zealand at Headingley and India at Edgbaston. The successful chase against India, a record 378, was achieved in just 76.4 overs. England were four out of four in the first part of the summer of testing.
Part two began with Stokes’ team’s only loss to date – an innings drubbing against South Africa at Lord’s – but instead of being too aggressive, the talk was that England were too timid and that old weaknesses had crept back. Fans needn’t have worried. A reaction led by Stokes arrived when England dished out an innings against the Proteas at Emirates Old Trafford, a week after suffering one of their own in north London.
The skipper may have been too nervous with the racquet earlier in the summer as he tried to hammer home how he wanted his team to play but at the Manchester Test, the day his warts-and-all -Amazon documentary, Phoenix from the Ashes, he hit an excellent 103 from 163 balls at perfect pace.
Then a day later, Stokes was the game-breaker with the ball, dismissing seeded South African sluggers Keegan Petersen and Rassie van der Dussen during a herculean 14-over period before the second fresh ball before England won in three days.
Big moment, Ben is back at it.
Another three-day win at the final test at the Kia Oval meant a string of wins and a glorious golden summer. But how would Bazball work in December in Pakistan? Pretty good as it turns out. England defeated an admittedly bowler-weary home side 3-0, with the win at Rawalpindi possibly being Stoke’s best of his nine wins as a skipper. On the shallowest of pitches, his captaincy reached new heights.
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England head coach McCullum called Captain Stokes a “loner” and a “genius” after the historic 3-0 win in Pakistan.
After seeing his team hit 500 first on day one of a Test, Stokes’ bold declaration at tea on day four of Pakistan to make a tempting 343 in four sessions gave his side time to win 10 wickets and he helped then in the process of making sure they got them, delaying the use of the new ball while the old one spun backwards and finally putting it in play before spinner Jack Leach took the final wicket with about 10 minutes remaining on day five.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a better week as captain,” said InNewCL Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain. “Every decision Stokes made was spot on.”
Stokes continued to make smart decisions in the next two Tests – inventive fields, clever bowling changes – and some incredibly brave ones too – and made his debut at 18 years and 126 days as leg spinner Rehan Ahmed – as England won at Multan and Karachi. also.
Clever and bold decisions by Stokes over the past seven months have revolutionized England’s Test team. After suffering a nightmare Ash streak last winter, England could prove to be a nightmare for Australia next summer.
Stokes’ year in white ball cricket, meanwhile, was one of retirement in the 50-over format and redemption in the 20-over version.
The 31-year-old ended the one-day internationals in July due to an “unsustainable” schedule and said players are “not cars that you can just fill up with petrol”. Stokes’ decision reminds the match organizers that perhaps they should play less cricket if they want to see more of the best players.
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Watch highlights of the T20 World Cup Final as England defeated Pakistan in MCG by five wickets to become two-time World White Ball Champion
However, Stokes continues to play T20 cricket and England are eternally grateful to him for that.
His intelligent innings of 52 not out secured victory over Pakistan in the World Cup Finals at MCG, three years after his intelligent innings of 84 not out proved pivotal in defeating New Zealand in that unforgettable 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s had.
Big moment, Ben is back at it.
Stokes, who had guided England past Sri Lanka and into the semi-finals with another unbeaten blow in Australia a week earlier, stood tall in a T20 World Cup final six years later after falling to his hips and in tears after smoking was for four straight sixes by West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite in the 2016 showpiece.
It was quite a turning point. But it’s the test turnaround he planned for which Stokes’ year will be remembered most. That Ashes pain he and England felt in January now looks like a lifetime away. From records broken to broken, with Stokes as the catalyst.
