Ben Stokes The man threatens to catch up with Stokes: this is what he has to do to become England’s feared match winner again

The news that Ben Stokes has not touched alcohol Since January 2, both reassuring and a sign of the time.

The test captain of England-34 in June is determined not to speed up his retirement by punishing his body both from the field and on it, and not every all-rounder in the past has shared that solution. On the other hand, Stokes that the man threatens to expel the cricket player, both on the page and in the imagination.

Consider the stories since the Helter-skelter 2023 Ashes, and they have often been about anything but runs and wickets: the ODI on-retirement on time for the World Cup of that year; Last summer’s hamstring in the hundred; His grumpiness in Pakistan, for which he apologized; The burglary, around the same time, in his house in Castle Eden while his family was in bed; The Hamstring tear in Hamilton; The subsequent social media promise to ‘some S *** up’; the recent speculation about the captain of De Witte Ball; The repeated claims that he is fitter than ever; And now rearranging his relationship with drinks.

Stokes’ news value of course changed that night forever Bristol in 2017. A soap opera of court cases, a crazy summer (2019), family mourning, depression And rehabilitation.

He was interviewed in a movie by Sam Mendes, in which he was reached to a cricket player in England-even while his glazed expression told the viewers that he was somewhere else. He had crossed cricket, but at what costs?

In short, the Cricket Center Podium resurrected. Stokes joined forces with Brendon McCullum, Bazball was born and England became the most mandatory team in the world. Nobody to have them in more than 15 tests has a better profit percentage than the 59 of Stokes, and they have scored at 4.5 and more.

The story will be resumed on Thursday against Zimbabwe in Trent Bridge and reach a career-defined Apogee against India and Australia later in the year. There are some critics from Bazball who are desperate to say, “We told you that.”

But for now it has become fashionable to forget that Stokes is the all-rounder of the test team, the man who is suitable for bowling the side balances and makes the constant indulgence of the off-breaks of Shoaib Bashir possible. When Mail -sport‘s Nasser Hussain stated it to Stokes during a recent interview in Mumbai that England was always a better team with him, Stokes nodded almost imperceptibly.

And it is still true: his presence offers immeasurable benefits on the side, and that is why Rob – despite everything else on Stokes’s plate – seriously considered giving him the ODI captain after the dismissal of Jos Buttler. The logic of Key, who was discussed by many, was that the 50-over side had to start winning again, and Stokes was the man to help them do it.

Yet his recent test numbers have not been good: since the ashes of 2023, Stokes has an average of 28 with the bat and almost 37 with the ball. Without a cheap and brutal three-front to turn the lower order of New Zealand and conquer the series in Wellington in December, his bowling average would climb to 47.

But although his sporadic contributions with the ball reflect his fitness fights, his batting is more concerned, especially in a setup where Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are only 30 and 34 on average, and where the pressure on Joe Root and Harry Brook sometimes feels unolks. If Jasprit Bumrah still has the new ball when the two arrive at the fold, India will do business.

And when Stokes has beaten no. 6, his first-choice slot, that average will fall to 20. England does not play any other test in Asia for two years, so that weakness can be temporarily obscured.

But this column has argued earlier that Stokes, while the dusk of his career, is perhaps better used at no. 7, where six innings have brought him an average of 44 since the 2023 ashes, including his best knock of the past two-year four-hour 80 to help the victory in Christchach.

It used to be said that he had the second older defense in the English team, behind Root. And his Magnum Opus During Headingley, six summers ago was built on solid foundations famous: only three points came from his first 73 balls, precisely because he could trust his technique. Without the self-relaxation, we may not have enjoyed the match-winning surrender.

But it will be difficult to claim that Stokes one bona fide Test no. 6, and even more difficult when he contributes relatively little to the ball. And despite all the talk about unprecedented levels of fitness, Stokes has also admitted that he should make his way back to the real all -rounder status during test competitions themselves. There are no guarantees that the hamstring will not be again between now and Perth on November 21, twang will not.

A movement to no 7 does not have to be seen as a climb. He was able to move himself as a flogger of tired attacks – or of the second new ball – in the form of Ian Botham or Adam Gilchrist. And the psychology would be different, so that the pressure to batten as a specialist. It could free him for all the remains of his test career, while Jamie Smith may enjoy the view from No. 6.

Above all, Stokes must find a way to let people talk about his batting and bowling again. If he succeeds, the English cricket could have a hell of a year.

Shah has no excuse for errors on social media

ICC chairman Jay Shah removed an Instagram post last week in which he expressed his support for India’s armed forces during the Kashmir-related skirmish with Pakistan.

He was right to remove it, but why did he think it was ok to post it in the first place?

As the Australian opener Usman Khawaja discovered when he was forbidden to portray a pigeon on his bat in solidarity with Gaza during a series against Pakistan, the ICC is not well inclined to ‘political, religious or racial’ messages on kit or clothing.

Shah’s message, who greeted our brave men and women … who protect our nation against terrorism, “was much more focused than that. Who then advises him? And if someone is, will he pay attention?

However, Cricket can hardly say that it was not warned: if you are waving the son of India’s Minister of the Interior, you can hardly act in a shock when things take a turn for politics.

A fighting back against elitarianism

English Cricket is regularly accused of elitarianism, so it was good to hear from plans for a new state school competition, run by the unfortunate MCC Foundation.

It will be called the Knight-Stokes Cup, in honor of two of the Captains of England trained by the Staatschool (Heather Knight went to the Plystock School in Plymouth, Stokes to Cockermouth School in Cumbria) and has attracted entries from 128 boys’ teams and 64 girls teams.

The T20 competition will be launched on 26 June and Finals Day will take place in Lord’s next summer.

I take the riposte from Leicestershire with good grace

Since I placed Grace Road 18th of the 18 years under the County HQs that I prefer to visitLeicestershire has been a team in a mission.

Victory on Middlesex on Sunday, their first in the championship at Lord’s 45 years, was their fourth of the season, more than every team in the country.

Okay, guys, pointed …