3 times Ben Stokes awed the world with his captaincy
England skipper Ben Stokes had the cricket world in a frenzy over his innovative umbrella- field for Australian opener Usman Khawaja on Day 3 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
With the wicket offering no assistance for the bowlers, Stokes pursued a field with no slips and a ring of three fielders each on the off and leg side at catching positions in front of the wicket. Despite batting on 141, Khawaja fell prey to the unique tactic employed by the England captain. The southpaw was dismissed two balls later while charging down the pitch to Ollie Robinson and having his stumps uprooted.
The dismissal spurred by Stokes' creative and captivating captaincy led to a mini-collapse as Australia went from 372/6 to being bowled out for 386, trailing the hosts by seven runs after the first innings.
Stokes had also set eccentric fields for Australian star Steve Smith, including a leg slip and a leg gully, on Day 2 before eventually dismissing him off his bowling for a meagre 16 of 59 deliveries.
The 32-year-old has ignited England's transformation in the red-ball format, leading them to 11 wins in their last 13 matches since taking over as full-time captain. This includes series wins against New Zealand and South Africa at home, followed by a clean sweep of Pakistan and a drawn series in New Zealand.
His combination with head coach Brendon McCullum has witnessed the team playing fearless and attacking cricket with the bat, while also trying innovative plans with the ball and in the field.
As we look ahead to the next trick up Stokes' sleeve, let us look back on three instances Ben Stokes awed the world with his captaincy.
#1 1st Test vs Pakistan (Rawalpindi, 2022)
England embarked on their tour of Pakistan after an incredible home summer, winning six of their seven Tests against New Zealand, India, and South Africa, with Ben Stokes as the full-time captain for the first time. The talismanic all-rounder grew to stratospheric levels during the three-Test series against the Asian giants.
Despite England's successful run at home employing the now-famous 'Bazball' theory, skeptics were still unsure of the tactic away from home, especially in Asian conditions. However, those questions were put to bed during the team's 3-0 clean sweep of the hosts in December 2022.
The first Test in Rawalpindi kickstarted one of the most remarkable runs in England's Test history, as they snatched victory on a pitch seemingly impossible to force a result on, thanks to Stokes' bold and imaginative captaincy.
Despite scoring 657 in their first innings at a scoring rate of 6.50 runs per over, England still had a mountain to climb as the hosts ended with a mammoth 579 in their first essay.
With the game seemingly heading toward a dull stalemate, Ben Stokes urged the English batters to go berserk with the bat, resulting in the team scoring over seven runs an over. The 32-year-old then pulled off a bold declaration after just 36 overs of batting, setting the hosts a target of 343 for victory with close to a day and a session remaining.
The move to declare appeared to be backfiring when Pakistan were well-placed at 259/5 entering the final session. However, Stokes set umbrella fields for pacers and as many as six close-in fielders for Jack Leach at different times during the day, leading to the hosts crumbling to be bowled out for 268.
England won by an unimaginable 74 runs, with several experts and analysts terming the result as one of the finest captaincy performances in English cricket.
#2 1st Test vs New Zealand (Mount Maunganui, 2023)
England embarked on a challenging tour of New Zealand, riding on the high of their 3-0 destruction of Pakistan a month back. The first of two Tests was a day-night encounter at the scenic Bay Oval.
The hosts won the toss and asked Ben Stokes and Co to bat first on a greenish surface. However, England continued their attacking batting and reached the 300-run mark in just 55 overs.
Then came another Stokes special as he declared after just 58 overs on Day 1 with the score of 325/9 in a bid to utilize the excellent bowling conditions under lights with the ball. The move worked wonders as it caught New Zeland off-guard, with the dismissals of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, and Henry Nicholls, inside the first 14 overs.
The hosts could never recover from the early setback to pose any challenge during the remainder of the Test and were handed a 267-run thrashing at home.
#3 2nd Test vs New Zealand (Wellington, 2023)
The second Test of England's tour to New Zealand has been arguably the most thrilling thus far this year. The visitors ended a rain-curtailed Day 1 on a tremendous note at 315/3 in 65 overs.
Despite needing only a draw to seal the series, Ben Stokes' men stayed true to their style and accelerated to 435/8 in 87 overs before pressing the declaration button.
In reply, the Kiwis were bundled out for a paltry 209, handing England a lead of 226. While fans and experts expected the English batters to come out and pile on the misery, Stokes pulled the trigger and enforced the seemingly out-of-fashion follow-on.
Although the move did not work as expected, thanks to the hosts scoring a mammoth 483 in their second essay, it helped set up a thrilling finale to the contest. The final day had several twists and turns before England eventually fell short by a single run to finish the series at a 1-1 stalemate.
Despite the result, the cricketing world applauded the England skipper for his proactive and brave captaincy that led to an enthralling Test match.