Ben Stokes just won’t stop. Taha Hashim pays tribute to England’s all-rounder after his stunning performance in the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

Of course it was him, that red-haired, hulking freak of nature; that man of boundless spirit and childlike energy, physically unable to not give it his all. His skipper was all over him after that final wicket, joyous in victory but thankful too that the best all-rounder on the planet, Ben Stokes, hadn’t let him down. Does he ever?

On day one, Stokes probably felt he had. His head was down after his bat had lobbed up a catch to extra cover. He’d been batting like a dream, with 47 to his name and a wise-beyond-his-years Ollie Pope coming along nicely at the other end. England went from 185-4 to 234-9, and Pope was forced to be the saving grace in getting them to 269. This tour, a nightmare of illness and injury, was running on South Africa’s rhythm.

But if anyone’s going to fight against the tide it’s Stokes. Think back to Headingley and that first-innings dismissal he later called “the worst shot of my career”. What followed was a spell of 15 and a bit overs on day three from Stokes the bowler that let Stokes the batsman pull off a miracle.

Cue day two and an exhibition at second slip, with Stokes diving low and expertly as balls continuously died on their way from the outside edge. He spilled two, one basically impossible, and another perhaps too regulation for Stokes to deem it worthy of his mitts. By the time South Africa’s innings came to a close the following day on 223, he had five catches, equalling the world record for the most by an outfielder in a Test innings.

Dom Sibley sweeping for four and raising his bat for a century will live as the image of England’s second innings, and how Stokes knows that. At the post-match presentation, Stokes tried to drag the opener with him to receive the Player of the Match award. “He should be the one up here,” Stokes said. Surely there should be a bit more arrogance, some self-recognition that he is above and beyond anyone else that shares the field with him?

If there is pomposity, it comes with how his bat can do just about anything it wants. For all of Sibley’s patience, Stokes was the man that had South Africa begging for mercy in England’s second innings. Coming out at the start of day four, it felt like a lull could be in store. Sibley would be patient through the nineties and surely an attack of South Africa’s quality wouldn’t rest so easily. Faf du Plessis’ decision to continue with the old ball was the fatal mistake.

Stokes threatened to break records – as he does in Cape Town – but a strike rate of 153.19 would have fooled the uninitiated. He isn’t some shellacking basher; he strikes with the balance of a golfer nailing his drive and pings the ball left, right and centre like he’s mastered Stick Cricket. When he fell for 72 it felt tragic that a ride of unadulterated fun had come to an end. 

Fast-forward to James Anderson finishing the 118th over of South Africa’s innings on day five, down and out, his body telling him his spell was over. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen were fine pantomime villains, keeping up with the great South African tradition of fifth-day rearguards. A draw felt very real. 

[caption id=”attachment_134096″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Stokes celebrates the dismissal of Nortje[/caption]

The next couple of wickets were sourced from elsewhere, but it was Stokes that the eyes followed. After toil across every day, in every discipline, he still had 140kph balls to bowl, torturing Dwaine Pretorius with reverse swing.

From the final ball of Dominic Bess’ 31st over, Vernon Philander – bidding farewell to Newlands, his ground – turned down a single that Pretorius would have so desperately wanted and so desperately needed.

The inevitable followed with an over that was simply Stokesian, all those watching united in their admiration of the pace, the accuracy, the movement and most importantly, the will. Pretorius offered a catch to slip and Zak Crawley pulled off one of the great juggles in the cordon from the next ball to dismiss Anrich Nortje. Stokes, seemingly never gobsmacked by his own efforts, was left on the floor marvelling at what his younger colleague had done.

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A hat-trick would have been perfect but the greater tragedy would have been someone else taking the final wicket. Stokes had to be the finisher.

There’s little new about the words being written here, for Stokes did it all in 2019. Still, how can you stop when he has no desire to himself?

Each day questions are being asked about where he sits at the table of legends. The truth remains that his stats don’t startle in the manner of Kallis and Sobers and it’s unlikely they ever will. He hasn’t racked up ton after ton, and he doesn’t guzzle up five-fors. But it’s about that feeling you have when you watch him, that understanding that there’s never an end in sight – at least not until the final handshake.

Think carefully: have you ever seen anything like him?

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England Ben StokesSouth Africa v England