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What's bugging Ben Stokes? The England captain is distracted in the field, moody with the media and anonymous with bat and ball, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH England lost to Pakistan by nine wickets in the third and final Test in Rawalpindi Stokes is focusing more on New Zealand trip than what went wrong in Pakistan He put his body through the wringer in an attempt to take part in this series By Lawrence Booth Published: 18:34 EDT, 27 October 2024 | Updated: 18:51 EDT, 27 October 2024 e-mail View comments The questions swirled in Rawalpindi as England tried to make sense of their series defeat by Pakistan — and many of them concerned Ben Stokes . Why had he allowed things to drift as Saud Shakeel and the Pakistani lower order transformed the deciding Test on the second afternoon? Why was Stokes lbw playing no shot to Noman Ali as England collapsed next morning? Why did he seem so unengaged during his post-match pronouncements? Above all: was he OK? It's not a question that has been asked much of Stokes ever since he returned to cricket for the 2021-22 Ashes, having missed the home summer through a mixture of injury and exhaustion, both mental and physical. And it has seemed beside the point during the Bazball rollercoaster ride, when everyone has been not merely OK, but — to borrow from Brendon McCullum — bulletproof and 10-foot tall.
The questions swirled in Rawalpindi as England tried to make sense of their series defeat by Pakistan — and many of them concerned Ben Stokes Why had he allowed things to drift as Saud Shakeel and the Pakistani lower order transformed the deciding Test on the second afternoon? Why was Stokes lbw playing no shot to Noman Ali as England collapsed next morning? Yet the good cheer has been so relentless, the vibes so positive, that any hint of introspection or doubt is instantly obvious. Perhaps it is why Stokes was less keen to linger on what went wrong in Pakistan than he was to look forward to the next challenge, in New Zealand. After all, what you don't over-analyse can't over-bother you.
Read More Is Ben Stokes OK? Is Ollie Pope up to it? 5 questions for England after Test thrashing by Pakistan But there was no hiding the fact that Stokes has not been OK in Pakistan, and especially not in Rawalpindi, where England again collapsed to Noman and Sajid Khan, blowing the lead in a three-match series for the first time in their history. During the second Test in Multan, he had apologised to team-mates after losing his cool as England's fielding fell apart at a crucial stage of Pakistan's second innings. In the third at Rawalpindi, he looked listless and distracted on the field, and sounded tetchy and monosyllabic off it.
It's worth saying that he is one of England's greatest captains, a man manager par excellence who has presided over one of the most thrilling periods in the Test team's history. That he has almost always done it while remaining on an even keel, placing his players' needs ahead of his own, confirms his qualities as a leader. But after missing the home Tests against Sri Lanka while he recovered from a hamstring injury, he put his body through the wringer in an attempt to take part against Pakistan.
By the time he finally appeared for the second of the Multan games, he already looked tired, despite claims in the camp he was fitter than ever. And before the third had even begun, he was talking about what a long tour it had been, as if England were about to embark on the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. Above all: was he OK? It's not a question that has been asked much of Stokes ever since he returned to cricket for the 2021-22 Ashes And it has seemed beside the point during the Bazball rollercoaster ride, when everyone has been not merely OK, but — to borrow from Brendon McCullum — bulletproof and 10-foot tall England again collapsed to Noman and Sajid Khan, blowing the lead in a three-match series for the first time in their history On that critical second afternoon, as Shakeel and Pakistan's lower order ground his bowlers into the Rawalpindi dust, Stokes seemed uncharacteristically powerless to change the momentum.
Read More BREAKING NEWS England are HUMILIATED by Pakistan, imploding to series defeat with lowest total of Bazball era Asked later why he didn't bring himself on to bowl, he said the timing never felt right. This was uncharacteristic too: Stokes has never needed an excuse to hurl himself into the fray. What was he worried about? One possible answer, despite his insistence to the contrary, is that he does not fully trust his body and, at the age of 33, he is concerned he may not do so again.
And if Stokes is not the all-rounder, the team is imbalanced — especially if he is struggling for runs. In 2024, his Test average is 24. The moments of derring-do have become fewer and further between.
Certainly, McCullum spoke more about his captain than expected, connecting the dots between his battle with injury and a lack of sharpness. 'That injury was quite significant,' said the England coach. 'He had to work incredibly hard to get back.
As the driven athlete he is, he's all in when he does something. He had to put in a lot of graft there and subconsciously it can..
. not cloud things, but maybe you're not quite as screwed down as you can be in terms of decision making. 'That's natural, as long as you learn from it and make sure that, next time you're presented with that situation, you're able to block out the noise and stay crystal clear in the moment.
'He's disappointed, but he's our skipper and we know he's tough. He'll make sure he'll come back, and it's our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way.' On that second afternoon, as Shakeel and Pakistan's lower order ground his bowlers (including Rehan Ahmed, pictured) into the dust, Stokes seemed uncharacteristically powerless The 2019 World Cup final, the Ashes Test at Headingley that same summer (pictured), the final of the T20 World Cup in Melbourne — so often, it has been Stokes to the rescue McCullum and Stokes have always sung from the same hymn sheet.
To hear anything remotely approaching censure — even when it is cloaked in concern —strikes a strange note. Read More England look lost with both bat and ball when the pitch spins, writes former captain NASSER HUSSAIN Equally strange, though perfectly human, is the thought that Stokes needs the help of others. The 2019 World Cup final, the Ashes Test at Headingley that same summer, the final of the T20 World Cup in Melbourne — so often, it has been Stokes to the rescue.
And yet McCullum was quite clear on the responsibilities of leadership as England took stock of their 2-1 defeat. 'He'll be hurting right now,' said the Kiwi. 'It's my job to make sure I'm there to support him and make sure we remain very on task with what we are trying to do as a collective and our messaging to the group about how we want to keep playing cricket.
'Sometimes as leaders, if you do suffer a little bit of disappointment yourself, it can be very easy to allow that to permeate through in your messaging to the group. But since Stokesy came on board as captain, he's been very clear and precise about how he wants his team to play. 'I think what's really important is to never flinch from that, stay true to it, even if you're struggling yourself.
' Somewhere along the line, as Stokes threw himself into his rehab, then trusted his body with only 10 overs in the second Test and none at all in the third, he became inward-looking. The messaging, another McCullum buzzword, lacked its customary clarity. Was it any coincidence that England's top six — with the exception of Ben Duckett — over-attacked with the sweep on the first morning, only for the top three on the second evening to lose their wickets to forward defensives? Unusually, England were caught between two stools.
Was it any coincidence that England's top six — with the exception of Ben Duckett — over-attacked with the sweep on the first morning? They are now hoping Stokes can unwind for a couple of weeks with his family before heading to New Zealand, where the first Test begins in Christchurch They are now hoping Stokes can unwind for a couple of weeks with his family before heading to New Zealand, where the first Test begins in Christchurch, the city of his birth, on November 28. His mum, Deborah, still lives there. It is one of his happy places.
And with series next year against India and Australia, England need a happy Stokes. They need a strong leader who believes in their approach and in his team, and who will not deviate from — yes — the messaging. Because if Stokes begins to doubt himself, the Bazball project could unravel altogether.
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