Ben Stokes
"Ben Stokes has undergone a second finger operation that looks set to rule him out of the Ashes, but may yet hasten his return to action in the long term.
Stokes, who has been on indefinite leave since pulling out of this summer's Test series against India, sustained a severe break of his left index finger while attempting a catch for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL in April.
And according to the Daily Mirror, the same surgeon who operated on the original injury - Leeds-based consultant Doug Campbell - reassessed Stokes' finger on Monday, removing the metal screws from the now-healed digit, but also addressing the scar tissue that the paper said had been causing "searing" pain around Stokes' tendons and ligaments.
...
He has not played in any form of the game since July 26, after announcing that he would be stepping away from cricket for an indefinite period to focus on his mental wellbeing, and to allow his finger a sustained period of downtime to heal fully."
(cricinfo)
Stokes, who has been on indefinite leave since pulling out of this summer's Test series against India, sustained a severe break of his left index finger while attempting a catch for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL in April.
And according to the Daily Mirror, the same surgeon who operated on the original injury - Leeds-based consultant Doug Campbell - reassessed Stokes' finger on Monday, removing the metal screws from the now-healed digit, but also addressing the scar tissue that the paper said had been causing "searing" pain around Stokes' tendons and ligaments.
...
He has not played in any form of the game since July 26, after announcing that he would be stepping away from cricket for an indefinite period to focus on his mental wellbeing, and to allow his finger a sustained period of downtime to heal fully."
(cricinfo)
Nowhere near his best this series...
Vid of Stokes being bowled by Starc:
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 59kgz.html
(Good thing there's been some seam movement... 'cos there hasn't been swing.)
Vid of Stokes being bowled by Starc:
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket ... 59kgz.html
(Good thing there's been some seam movement... 'cos there hasn't been swing.)
Of course lotta talk now 'bout the England captaincy.
That'd be really bad for cricket and for him. Just a terrible look for cricket, 'cos the game cannot just pretend he didn't almost bash a fella to death in a drunken rage. It's all on video!! Bad for him, 'cos he's just recently returned from leave for mental health.
Problem is... who else can captain England?
That'd be really bad for cricket and for him. Just a terrible look for cricket, 'cos the game cannot just pretend he didn't almost bash a fella to death in a drunken rage. It's all on video!! Bad for him, 'cos he's just recently returned from leave for mental health.
Problem is... who else can captain England?
Boycott wants Stuart Broad:
Stokes should not be loaded with pressure of captaincy
"England’s last great all-rounder, Ian Botham, did not do too well as captain. Nine Tests home and away in 1980 and 1981 against that all-conquering West Indies team would have been too much for any captain. But his form suffered and he was nothing like the great wicket-taking, run-scoring all-rounder we were used to.
Tony Greig had mixed success. He lost to the great Windies team at home in 1976, made worse by the ″grovel″ remark he always regretted. But he won in India, which is difficult. Ray Illingworth was good with his players and brilliant tactically.
He was clear thinking and successful because he made inspired, instinctive decisions and was always thinking ahead. It helped that he had some great players in John Snow, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, John Edrich and myself."
(Telegraph, London)
[No worries about modesty for Geoffrey, huh?!?
]
Stokes should not be loaded with pressure of captaincy
"England’s last great all-rounder, Ian Botham, did not do too well as captain. Nine Tests home and away in 1980 and 1981 against that all-conquering West Indies team would have been too much for any captain. But his form suffered and he was nothing like the great wicket-taking, run-scoring all-rounder we were used to.
Tony Greig had mixed success. He lost to the great Windies team at home in 1976, made worse by the ″grovel″ remark he always regretted. But he won in India, which is difficult. Ray Illingworth was good with his players and brilliant tactically.
He was clear thinking and successful because he made inspired, instinctive decisions and was always thinking ahead. It helped that he had some great players in John Snow, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, John Edrich and myself."
(Telegraph, London)
[No worries about modesty for Geoffrey, huh?!?
]
O. Brown:
"Ben Stokes is just nine months removed from mental health problems so acute that he announced an indefinite hiatus from cricket. He was such a shell of his free-wheeling self at the Ashes that he bowled 14 no-balls in a single session and fell behind Mitchell Starc, batting at No.9, in the rankings of the world’s finest all-rounders.
And now, with the full extent of England’s red-ball ills still to be diagnosed, never mind treated, newly minted director of cricket Rob Key has seen fit to make him Test captain... To foist such a psychological burden on a tortured soul who has in the past struggled with the grind of touring, let alone the added stresses of leadership, feels not just peculiar, but borderline irresponsible.
...
But these talismanic moments conceal the fragility beneath.
In Stokes’ world, there is the thinnest of lines between passion and rage. In 2014, he took anger management advice from a sports psychologist, having cost himself a World Twenty20 place with a broken wrist caused by punching a dressing room locker. Four years later he faced renewed claims that he had an issue with his temper during the trial that followed his Bristol nightclub brawl, one culminating in his acquittal on a charge of affray.
There are more recent examples, too. ...
Stokes’ pattern of behaviour suggests he does not take kindly to being judged. As England captain, though, he will not have much choice in the matter. ...
It looks, frankly, like an implosion waiting to happen. Under Joe Root, his excesses could just about be tolerated. But as the man in charge, any diplomatic incident will be magnified tenfold. If his past is any gauge, it will require only a single spark to light that shortest of fuses."
(Telegraph, London)
"Ben Stokes is just nine months removed from mental health problems so acute that he announced an indefinite hiatus from cricket. He was such a shell of his free-wheeling self at the Ashes that he bowled 14 no-balls in a single session and fell behind Mitchell Starc, batting at No.9, in the rankings of the world’s finest all-rounders.
And now, with the full extent of England’s red-ball ills still to be diagnosed, never mind treated, newly minted director of cricket Rob Key has seen fit to make him Test captain... To foist such a psychological burden on a tortured soul who has in the past struggled with the grind of touring, let alone the added stresses of leadership, feels not just peculiar, but borderline irresponsible.
...
But these talismanic moments conceal the fragility beneath.
In Stokes’ world, there is the thinnest of lines between passion and rage. In 2014, he took anger management advice from a sports psychologist, having cost himself a World Twenty20 place with a broken wrist caused by punching a dressing room locker. Four years later he faced renewed claims that he had an issue with his temper during the trial that followed his Bristol nightclub brawl, one culminating in his acquittal on a charge of affray.
There are more recent examples, too. ...
Stokes’ pattern of behaviour suggests he does not take kindly to being judged. As England captain, though, he will not have much choice in the matter. ...
It looks, frankly, like an implosion waiting to happen. Under Joe Root, his excesses could just about be tolerated. But as the man in charge, any diplomatic incident will be magnified tenfold. If his past is any gauge, it will require only a single spark to light that shortest of fuses."
(Telegraph, London)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-07/ ... /101046546
A week after being appointed England Test captain, Ben Stokes livened up county cricket by smashing 161 off 88 balls on return for Durham against Worcestershire in an innings that included a record 17 sixes.
He beat the record for most sixes in a County Championship innings, which was previously shared by Andrew Symonds and Graham Napier, who both hit 16 in 1995 and 2011 respectively.
Stokes, who recently took over from Joe Root as England captain, notched up his ton in just 64 deliveries with a massive six that sailed into the stands.
It was the fastest century by a Durham player in the history of county cricket, eclipsing Paul Collingwood's 75-ball hundred against Somerset in 2005.
He also came close to striking six sixes in an over, a feat that only two men in the history of first-class cricket have ever achieved: Sir Garfield Sobers in 1968 and Ravi Shastri in 1985.
Unfortunately, the final ball of that over went for four.
Stokes named ICC men's Test Cricketer of Year
28 January 2023
"Stokes' year on the Test scene was one to remember, his 870 runs keeping him as one of the leading batters in the game...
While Stokes' skills are always on show, it is his leadership as Test captain, alongside new head coach Brendon McCullum, that has caught the attention of the cricketing world.
Affectionately named 'Bazball', the England Test side's attacking and aggressive style of cricket has been a marvel to watch, with Stokes opting for an entertaining approach for batters, bowlers, and the field."
(Sky Sports)
28 January 2023
"Stokes' year on the Test scene was one to remember, his 870 runs keeping him as one of the leading batters in the game...
While Stokes' skills are always on show, it is his leadership as Test captain, alongside new head coach Brendon McCullum, that has caught the attention of the cricketing world.
Affectionately named 'Bazball', the England Test side's attacking and aggressive style of cricket has been a marvel to watch, with Stokes opting for an entertaining approach for batters, bowlers, and the field."
(Sky Sports)
