Friday was always going to be a big day for Ben Stokes.
It was the day his candid documentary Phoenix from the Ashes was released, a film in which he goes into granular detail about the difficulties he has faced over recent years. From the Bristol incident to the death of his father. Suffering debilitating panic attacks. Taking anxiety medication.
But he also had a big job to do on the field against South Africa after striding to the crease with his side still four runs behind and five wickets down after Proteas paceman Anrich Nortje had dismissed Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow caught behind during a searing five-over spell.
It was a job he performed to perfection as he and fellow centurion Ben Foakes helped England carve out a first-innings advantage of 264.
There seemed a chance Stokes’ knock would be over shortly after it had begun when an apparent twinge of the knee – a joint that has been giving him gip all summer – left him grimacing.
Treatment did the trick, though, and he carried on with an innings in which South Africa’s bowlers occasionally got the treatment.
There were nine boundaries in Stokes’ 103 from 163 balls – six fours and three sixes. So, yes, it was an innings of belligerence at times but beauty, too, And brains. A perfect balance of attack and defence.
It was the sort of innings we have seen Stokes play numerous times over the years, just not this summer.
The consensus has been that Stokes has been too frenetic of late, too eager to lead from the front and get this forward-thinking England side ahead of the game by sacrificing himself. Kevin Pietersen even said Stokes was “devaluing his wicket” after one febrile cameo against India.
But this was different. The intent was there – see sixes over the leg-side off Simon Harmer and a gorgeous straight four off Lungi Ngidi after skipping down the pitch. There was no timidity. But there was a patience. A willingness to get himself in before getting on with it.
Stokes took 101 deliveries to reach his half-century – the milestone clinched with one of the sixes off Harmer – but then just a further 57 to reach three figures. His strike rate for the innings was 63.19.
Game-advancing but also example-setting.
Sky Sports Cricket expert Kumar Sangakkara said: “It was an incredible innings, not just in the context of the game but in the context of the messaging around how this team should be playing in this new culture.
“I spoke to Brendon McCullum this morning and he was very bullish about being positive but not reckless and it was a great example by the captain, the leader of setting the tone.
“He mixed aggression with smartness. The longer this English team commit to this process, they will learn and become smarter.”
Sangakkara’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Michael Atherton added: “I was impressed with Stokes. There has been conversation about his batting, which has sometimes gone too far to the aggressive side, but I thought he played in a really controlled fashion.
“Earlier in the summer, he perhaps didn’t get that right or wanted to say to the team, ‘this is how we are going to play’. But when he came down the pitch here, it was controlled. He wasn’t coming down to have a big wahoo.
“There was certainty and calmness, a better tempo to his game. He soaked up the pressure and then moved through the gears.”
Stokes, speaking to Sky Sports on Saturday morning, said: “We have been vocal with how we want to play and me being captain and leader of that, it was more showing lads it was okay to go out and do certain things.
“I am a massive believer in leadership showing that and not expecting anyone else to do something you wouldn’t do.
“We got an understanding of the wicket. It didn’t feel like a wicket where you could stand there and hit through the line. Some balls were bouncing, some balls were skidding, there was reverse swing.
“But when we do have that positive mindset to score it makes things a lot easier. I went out there with the intention to get on the front foot and take scoring opportunities and it made my decision-making a lot easier.”
Foakes, who scored an unbeaten 113 and shared a 173-run stand with Stokes for England’s sixth wicket, said of his skipper: “Everyone wants a piece of Ben but the way he played was pretty special.
“Ben was quite clear – he said ‘we can absorb as well, this is a difficult phase. Let’s make it up and score where we can, let’s be busy, but don’t do anything stupid’. That’s what we went with.”
On the day Stokes’ documentary displayed his importance to England off the field, his batting showed how vital he is for them on it.
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