In recent years, Ben Stokes has emerged as a key member of the England side in all formats of cricket, adding balance and heft with his medium pace, explosive batting and lively fielding.
Stokes lived up to his reputation in the first match of the ICC ODI World Cup on Thursday as England crushed South Africa by 104 runs at the Oval. Stokes top-scored for England, scoring 89 runs of just 79 balls to lead England to a score of 311. However, Stokes was not finished: He was involved in a run-out, took two catches—one of them a blinder near the boundary—and topped it off with two wickets for just 12 runs.
While the performance was simply spectacular, Stokes has a philosophy of taking each game as it comes. Speaking to Neeru Bhatia in an exclusive interview appearing in the latest issue of THE WEEK, Stokes said, “Performances come and go. I try not to live off my last performance. I just stay in the moment.”
England are widely considered as being among the favourites to win the World Cup, given their recent form. When asked about the pressure the expectation brings on a home team, Stokes noted, “I think there is always pressure on a home team”. He explained that once the World Cup starts, “The thought of winning games will be on the forefront of the mind, rather than thinking about us having the home advantage, or being favourites or world number one.”
Stokes credits England ODI captain Eoin Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss for the team's transformation into being one of the top sides of late. Stokes declared Morgan had been “absolutely brilliant” as a leader. He revealed Morgan “keeps things simple, to which players probably respond best”.
Stokes credited coach Bayliss for letting Morgan be on the “forefront of pretty much everything”. Stokes claimed Bayliss had no ego and “does not want to be in the spotlight, does not want to take all the credit”, and declared, “he is possibly the best thing to happen to our white ball cricket”.
Stokes described the IPL as a “brilliant competition”, which allowed players to learn and expand their game. He noted, “It is a lot different to what we are used to. You spend a lot of time with the boys and we have a great team room, which is almost like an extension of your bedroom.”
The latest issue of THE WEEK, which hit the stands on Thursday, also features exclusive interviews of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan and Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed in addition to expert analysis.
