England were crowned ICC T20 Cricket Champions when they got the better of Pakistan in the Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG ) on Sunday. It was a good hard fought match watched by more than 80,000 fans in attendance at the MCG and though England had a relatively easy target to chase, some belligerent bowling from Pakistan had them in trouble and at one stage it appeared a bit even stevens with Pakistan threatening to take the game away. However England have been blessed with a player like no other and with him in the midst of the contest England had all the aces. The special played played an unmatched innings, absorbed all the pressure like a sponge and took England home as expected.
A Special Player
Benjamin Andrew Stokes, is this special player, who has a habit of playing well in tough conditions and particularly when the stakes are the highest. In 2019 too, during the ODI World Cup Final against New Zealand, Ben Stokes produced an innings to remember when the chips were down and it was only because of his heroics that England won the tense battle with the Kiwis and became world Champions. England therefore are reigning World Champions in both One Day Internationals ( ODI ) and T20 Cricket and since the advent of the T20 World Cup in 2007, this has been the first instance where a country has both ODI and T20 World Titles to its name at the same time.
Early Days
Ben Stokes with his Parents
Born in Christchurch New Zealand, 31 year old Stokes moved to England at the age of 12, when his father Gerard Stokes, a Rugby player was appointed Head Coach of Workington Rugby League Club in North Lancashire. Stokes spent his years in Cockermouth and though his parents moved back to New Zealand, Ben Stokes stayed in England to develop his cricketing career. He made his first class Debut for Durham in 2009, his ODI debut for England in 2011 and his Test Debut for England in the 2013-14 Ashes series against Australia. Since then Ben Stokes has been a regular with the England camp and has only grown from strength to strength, taking a break only in 2020 to attend to his ailing father who later succumbed to Cancer.
The Steel within
What makes Ben Stokes so special is a question to be asked, particularly with equally talented players ( if not more ) like Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Johnny Bairstow having proven their potential. Ben Stokes has the ability to excel in extremely nervy conditions. When all others have fallen Ben Stokes revels. His temperament is steely, his nerve unwavering, his focus uncompromising alongwith his remarkable skills with both bat and ball. He may not have the bulky statistics but his contributions are worth their weight in gold. I have reached this conclusion not only on the back of his two innings in World Cup Finals, but also his innings of 135* against Australia at Headingley in 2019, has been taken into account.
The Headingley Examination
The Champion of Headingley
At Headingley, England were set a target of 359 for a victory in the fourth innings, which appeared highly improbable. A victory was essential for England to stay put in the series . England appeared down an out against an extremely formidable and incisive Australian attack, but Ben Stokes had other ideas, he forged a remarkable 76 run partnership with last man Jack Leach and guided England to an astounding 1 wicket victory. His 135 not out has been hailed as one of the greatest innings by an Englishman and the The Greatest Innings of the Decade ( 2010s) by Wisden.
England’s Test Captain
Ben Stokes is an unbelievable player of today’s times and he plays his best at the biggest stage which sets him apart from the rest. His appointment as England’s Test Captain is a reflection of his abilities and an acknowledgment of him being a tall leader when it comes to handling crisis situations. Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from ODIs and therefore England will miss him big time when they set their feet on Indian shores to defend their ODI World Title in 2023.
The player is forged in an elusive metal, like someone from another planet. Stokes is unreal….isn’t he.
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