Aday out from the second Test against India at Edgbaston and Andrew Flintoff was dog-sticking to England’s batters in the nets, his very presence bringing memories of 20 years ago flooding back. It was here where Flintoff wrote his name into Ashes folklore, igniting the afterburners for England’s statement first innings, rescuing the second with a six-laden counterattack, and thensending down a famous overon the third evening that vaporised Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting.
As well as driving England to that famous two-run victory, 141 runs and seven wickets across the four days made it Flintoff’s statistical peak as a fast-bowling all-rounder – the only time he went north of 100 runs and five wickets in the same Test. People often underestimate the physical and mental demands that the dual role places on those hardy enough to even attempt it; expecting both facets of their game to deliver consistently is unrealistic save for a handful of freakish greats.
All of which is a segue into where Ben Stokes finds himself before this second instalment against India, albeit 1-0 up and buoyed bylast week’s Headingley heist. With everything crossed and wood being touched, the hamstring surgery at the start of the year can be deemed a success. This summer – albeit across a small sample size of two Tests – the 34-year-old has been England’s most potent bowler. His pace is up, good movement has been extracted from a couple of flat surfaces, and taking eight wickets at 20 apiece has made for an invaluable return from a fourth seamer.
Stokes is now two wickets away from overtaking Flintoff’s 219 in Test cricket, after which only Ian Botham’s tally of 383 sits higher among English all-rounders. And while Stokes has taken a bit longer to get here – 112 caps won compared with Flintoff’s 78 – he has long since scorched past him with the bat, 13 hundreds to the Lancastrian’s five, 6,781 Test runs to his 3,845. Add dynamism in the field – Flintoff’s bucket hands at slip notwithstanding – plus his aptitude as captain and it is fair to say Stokes has gone past the all-rounder he says he looked up to as a kid.
But while the bowler of old has seemingly been restored of late, Stokes the batter has been light on impact for a little while now. The 155 that he ransacked on thatfebrile final day at Lord’sduring the 2023 Ashes – an innings powered in part by indignation over the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow by Alex Carey – is his most recent Test century. A run of 31 innings in the two years since has just become the longest three-figure drought of his England career.
None of which is to question Stokes’ centrality to a team that live and breathe his every word – not least given the earlier point about sustaining all-round returns, though it is fair to say he’s due a score. It may simply be that Stokes has instinctively moved to bolster the area where the team need him most. The bowling attack has suffered a significant drop-off in experience since theretirements of Jimmy Andersonand Stuart Broad, hard-working though it is, whereas the top seven are beginning truly to blossom around the enduring, unflappable class of Joe Root.
Edgbaston, 2-6 July
England (confirmed)Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
India (possible)Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
The mystery of whether they will face Jasprit Bumrah in this second Test felt no closer to being solved a day out from the toss, with the captain, Shubman Gill, the latest from the India camp to grapple with the mental gymnastics of his prized asset’s predetermined workload. At 1-0 down and after a week’s break, it feels like a no-brainer for India, but the decision will apparently be made as late as possible. Save for a couple of dismissals that left his jaw on the ground, Stokes has an excellent head-to-head record against Bumrah, averaging 58.5 from 11 Test encounters. On a personal level, he should be relaxed either way.
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Instead, the chief concern against India for Stokes over the years has been the spinners, with the now retired Ravichandran Ashwin claiming his wicket 13 times from 17 Tests and Ravindra Jadeja making it seven from 14 in Leeds. Against Kuldeep Yadav he averages just six runs for his three dismissals and that battle may be about to resume. On a dry surface that is expected to produce runs, the left-arm wrist-spinner would ask fresh questions of England as a whole, even if Washington Sundar’s greater prowess with the bat may yet mean he gets the nod.
One thing that can be guaranteed is that Edgbaston and Birmingham’s Manhattan-esque skyline will deliver a mighty backdrop for the match, the ground sold out for the first four days and the Hollies Stand no doubt set to be in full voice. A week on from folks leaving Headingley slightly baffled by the ground’s exclusion from the 2027 Ashes, it is worth noting that Edgbaston will be frozen out four years later. Think back to Flintoff’s herculean all-round feats here 20 years ago, or some of the famous Test battles since, and the situation is no less frustrating.