"The Ashes well truly alive because of one cricketer Benjamin Stokes" gasped former England captain Nasser Hussain on air as Stokes led England to a memorable win over the Aussies to level the series in 2019. Since then the world's fate with the pandemic striking has in many ways coincided with the newly appointed English Test skipper Ben Stokes.
The prolific all-rounder who is looked upon as one of the greats of the game shocked the entire cricketing fraternity as he announced an indefinite break from the game citing mental health issues in 2021. Stokes who was in the form of his life and riding high on the success of the 2019 World Cup & Ashes was praised by the entire world for opening up on issues related to mental health. Former India captain Virat Kohli weighed into the matter by saying that it is always important for athletes to take periodic breaks.
Until this point, Ben Stokes has had a story that is no less than a fairy tale. Apart from his cricketing prowess, Ben Stokes earned himself headlines when he was charged as the main aggressor in a nightclub fight in Bristol way back in 2017. As a result, the ECB (English Cricket Board) handed over charges to Ben for maligning the game. Referring to the event Nasser Hussain once quoted "trouble follows him". Amidst all the skill and all the iconic moments he has been a part of, the English Test skipper will also be remembered for the night when West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite smashed him for four consecutive sixes to win his team the World T20 title for the second time in 2016.
Despite all the failures Stokes had, he had the nerves to work on his game and command the respect of the cricketing fraternity.
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