IND vs ENG: Big Ben and the art of the impossible

MANCHESTER: Purely in terms of numbers, Ben Stokes had endured an average series before arriving in Manchester. Figures of 5/72 with the ball and 141 runs with the bat in the first innings of the fourth Test here are more the kind of numbers that match his lofty reputation as an allrounder.

But if one has closely followed the games, Stokes transcends stats. More than just being the premier fast-bowling allrounder in world cricket, Stokes has a job to do as captain of a bowling unit that is going through the throes of transition. This is when there have been doubts over his body being able to endure a heavy workload. Well, Stokes took the load and did all the heavy lifting to create magical spells of cricket right through the series.

He has stood out as a leader.

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Physically, mentally, and tactically, he has been a cut above the rest this summer. He has laid out plans and has been at the centre of the battlefield to execute them. His presence has elevated the standard of the series. In the build-up to the AndersonTendulkar Trophy, England men’s team’s managing director Rob Key had told TOI that the management doesn’t see Stokes bowling the long and big spells that defined him as a fast bowler.

It doesn’t seem Stokes himself believed that line of thought. The dodgy knee at the age of 34 was always going to be a hurdle. But Stokes has run across every barrier that has come in his way. His ageing body, battered for over a decade now, is the last thing that could hold him back.

The caretakers of English cricket were in awe of his herculean effort with the ball on the final day of the last Test at Lord’s. But they were equally concerned about burning out their prime asset. Stokes himself conceded that coach Brendon McCullum asked him to stop after a point on the fourth evening at Lord’s.

He acknowledged it then but was having none of that on the fifth day. When he didn’t bowl on the fourth evening here at Old Trafford, one may have started guessing if his body finally gave up. The same concerns started to resurface.

“He loves bowling, he loves batting, he loves diving around in the field, sprinting and doing everything he can do. Being captain of the team, you want him playing as many games as possible. We need to see if we can somehow find a way to limit the number of overs he bowls in particular. Throughout the series, he hasn’t necessarily bowled those mammoth spells like he did in previous times,” England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said after the fourth day’s play on Saturday. Trescothick didn’t want to divulge much, but he did hint at the team management holding Stokes back on Saturday evening because of the cramps and niggles he suffered due to the workload. On Sunday morning, Stokes had the ball first up in his hands and fired in eight overs on the trot. His batting form in the first three Tests was questionable. Yet, he kept himself in the game with the ball. He was the only bowler from the England team who asked persistent questions to the Indian batters. On the eve of the second Test at Edgbaston, Stokes bowled full throttle non-stop at a single stump for an hour. Little did anyone know that it would become a norm in an actual match when the series reached its business end. Stokes is someone who likes to keep moving the game forward. He makes things happen. He sets unusual fields, bowls unusual lines. Even in the flattest of conditions, he has not let the Indian batters breathe easy.