Stokes rediscovers superhero status with stunning century against Windies

As Ben Stokes repeatedly lobbed cricket balls towards jubilant England fans, some of his fondest memories were stirred.

In Barbados, he hit like that outfit had been freshly fitted and zipped up, ready for another starring role.

Stokes strutted as only he can make 120 out of 128 balls: Captain Joe Root passed 150 as a mere sideshow in a thrilling Stokes-fueled morning session on day two of the second Test against the West Indies.

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It was his first century since July 2020, a period in which Stokes has had a number of challenges to overcome.

In December 2020, Stokes father ged died and four months later, Stokes suffered a severely broken finger while playing in the Indian Premier League.

That injury would rule the all-rounder out for three months until he was brought back – the injury still not fully healed – to answer England’s SOS call and captain a one-day international squad against Pakistan which was improvised after a Covid outbreak.

His comeback lasted less than a month as he announced an indefinite break from cricket to prioritize his mental well-being and allow his injury to heal.

Having originally been skipped, Stokes returned for English cricket’s greatest pursuit, an Ashes series, but was unable to replicate his past Ashes exploits, scoring two fiftys and winning four wickets in five Tests.

Since then, Stokes has been typically honest.

He has, with little justification, said he let the team down during England’s 4–0 defeat. She has retired from the IPL, where she is a superstar and could have banked millions more, to focus on England’s red ball revival.

It’s brilliant for this new England that Stokes found form in Barbados. Because this was him at his best.

He was imperious from the start, scoring 89 runs in the first session alone and eventually allowing England to declare 507-9 before ending the day 436 runs in front.

Comparing it to Stokes’ back catalogue, it was an inning more akin to his demolition of Cape Town in 2016, when he batted 258 against South Africa, than the unbeaten 135 in that Ashes miracle at Headingley in 2019 or his Cup-winning exploits. world before. this year.

The way he went off the mark, a bruise on the drive off Jayden Seales should have been an indicator. What followed was brutal.

Veerasammy Permaul was beaten into the Caribbean Sea so often that, even on a course where spin seems the biggest threat, the slow left arm was deemed unusable.

Seamer Alzarri Joseph was dispatched with such ease that it was like watching cricket play on County Durham beaches where Stokes walks his dog.

Even Root Overlord was now part of the supporting cast, joking that he “wished he could do” what Stokes was doing on the other end.

After starting the day at zero, just over two hours had passed when Stokes hit triple figures with 114 balls.

He took off his helmet, looked up at the sky and paid his respects to his father, raising his left hand as he stuck in his middle finger.

“It’s a very special feeling,” Stokes said.

“I don’t like to talk selfishly, but it was nice to look up at the sky and say ‘Cheers’.

“Personally, that’s one of the most memorable hundreds that I have because of everything that’s happened in the last 18 months to two years.

“It was great. In India last year I got 99 [in a one-day international win in Pune] And it was a bit like a dagger to the heart, so it was nice to get there and remember it that way.”

Previously, a mighty six carried Stokes past 5,000 test runs, to go along with his 170 wickets.

It saw him join the most iconic all-rounders in history – Lord Botham, Sir Garfield Sobers, Kapil Dev and Jacques Kallis – as the only men to score more than 5,000 runs and claim 150 or more dismissals in Tests.

But Stokes’ brilliance isn’t just about numbers. It’s the style he uses to accomplish those feats and the way he makes you feel along the way.