Ben Stokes moved around and clutched his leg on a hot Thursday afternoon at Lord. The signs were sinister for English supporters because Stokes returned only from the knee surgery just before the India series.
Maybe it made sense he was in discomfort. England Captain bowed 61 exceeding in the first two series of the series. In the recent past, Stokes may have decided to save himself from bowling efforts in both shifts with the Lord in the recent past. But again, if he did, Ben Stokes wouldn’t be, right?
England cricket miraculous man, a hero of the moments of the resistance of age, took on himself to miss the stunning 44 overs, his most difficult bowling workload in a single test in nearly six years. Play player carried England through the line at Lordawith a narrow edge of 22 runs.
ENG vs Indian, 3. Test main points | Scorecard
Forty -four exceeded. Let it drop. It was the third highest bowling workload of his entire test career. With that, Stokes has now delivered 105 overs in the series, with two other games.
Former English dough Jonathan Trott remained in respect. And who wouldn’t be?
“It just shows that it is the heart and soul of the side. He leads in advance, and that is exactly what you want from the captain. He will never ask someone to do something he wouldn’t be willing to do alone,” Trott said after the match.
5th day in the morning when the match hung up in balance, Stokes decided to mix 10 overs in its introductory spell. Then came another 10 after lunch. During these magic, Kl Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah chose two major breakthroughs that moved the game in favor of England.
This could be called blind bravery, especially due to its history of knee injuries. And it was probably against the physical limits. Stokes even ignored the direct instructions of coach Brendon McCulla, who was seen animatedly from the balcony, and urged his captain to stop bowling late 3rd day. But Stokes, squeezed pain, simply continued.
“So, when he asks someone to make an extra long spell, it’s infectious because he does it alone,” Trott added. “He returned and went to the type of shift that inspires his teammates. It sets the standard for every young man coming to the side. When you pull the shirt and three lions cap, you know exactly what is expected. The standard is set by the best boys.”
Stokes behind the numbers
Ben Stokes is a player whose actual value is unlikely to include statistics. Its heritage is not based on the volume of runs or goals, it is built on timing. It is built when it delivers, those accurate moments when the game slips and someone has to do something miraculous.
Catch in the ODI World Cup final, the last effort of the ditch in Headley against Australia, the instinct survival against Pakistan in the final of the World Cup T20 – CV Stokes is full of some ridiculous moments.
When he came into this test, his launch was under control. The hero Hearingley, the champion of this unforgettable World Cup final in 2019, did not receive a century since the ashes of 2023. Its average in cricket with a red ball has since immersed under 30.
Stokes, however, never played for numbers. He played for moments, for rescue acts, for unlikely victory.
“I am versatile. I have four opportunities to influence the game. One of the big things that I am versatile is, if one thing does not click, then you have the other,” Stokes said in the presentation after the match after Lord’s victory.
In this match his influence did not come from the bat. It came from a clear will to compete, refusal to give up and gravel to get out of exhaustion when others retreat.
“To be honest, I was also cooked yesterday,” he said, smiling in pain. “But the game was on the line and nothing stopped me.”
“I’ve already taken some nice dark places before. Today it was, but look, bowling to win the test match, if it’s not excited, I don’t know what he is doing.”
Inspiring an example
Statistics will never fully detect what Ben Stokes does for England. They will not record grimaces in pain, quiet conversations with their body to deal with once again, or the aura that it carries into the battle.
“I just felt that Jofra would be a man to open the game.”
Signing autographs and memories of epic victory
Click below for the whole chat! – England cricket (@englandcricket) 14 July 2025
It is inspired by an example. Commands by effort. And again and again, it brings when it matters most, not always by taking five goals or scoring a hundred, but by being a player who does what others can’t imagine.
Therefore, Ben Stokes is the heart and soul of England. Therefore, it is out of statistics.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
July 15, 2025
Tune
