Ten years of Ben Stokes: from raw all-rounder to England’s star turn

An Australian leg-spinner named Scott Borthwick, 23, is set to bowl his first ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he makes his Test debut.

Durham team-mate and friend Ben Stokes is in his fourth Test match and is hoping for better bowling. Ten years have passed since Stokes’ first Test century, which he scored with six for 99 on the same day. Stokes walked into a crumbling changing room where brilliant careers were ending. In 2015, Paul Farbrace moved him up to No 6, allowing him to be at the center of the game. In response, he hit back against New Zealand with the fastest century in Test history at Lord’s, scoring 85 balls in an innings-saving 92. England’s assistant coach from 2014 to 2019 wanted Stokes to be liberated elsewhere, advising him to field where he thinks the ball’s going to go.

Between 2016 and 2020, Stokes’ red-ball statistics improved, taking eight hundreds and 112 wickets in 47 Test matches. He had to take time out of his 2021 to tend to his mental health, which was difficult for him. His leadership has been the focus since his return; he has led the team to 13 victories as captain and has coined a new word.