Stokes Joins Legends Of Newlands

Ben-Stokes---cricville
Ben Stokes played an epic knock of 258 runs in Newlands . Image Source : cricville.com

Cape Town : Ben Stokes  claimed legendary status among the great players to have graced New Year Test matches at PPC Newlands to light up the second day of the second Sunfoil Test match on Sunday as few other players could have done.

For those who are worried about the future of Test cricket Stokes could not have chosen his timing better as one of the biggest crowds ever to attend a five-day match at this venue – 20 600 – were enthralled and captivated by his skill and above all his audacity.

You had to feel genuinely sorry for his partner on the day, Jonny Bairstow, who finished with a share of a new world record sixth wicket partnership of 399, a maiden Test match century and an unbeaten150 (191 balls, 18 fours and 2 sixes).

At least his captain, Alastair Cook, appreciated the sensitivity of the occasion by delaying his declaration until after Stokes had departed so that Bairstow could also enjoy the standing ovation that he thoroughly deserved.

But for all Bairstow’s contribution – and we will never know whether Stokes would have got the support to carry out the entertainment he unleashed from the lower order had Bairstow gone cheaply – this day will go down in history as the one that belonged to Stokes.

He gave an immediate sign of his intentions by taking only 12 balls to advance his score from the overnight 74 to 100 and achieved the landmarks of 100, 150 and 200 all in the same pre-lunch session that saw him score a staggering 130 runs at a time when Bairstow was hardly inactive himself.

He was the driving force behind England scoring 100 runs per hour for the first three hours of the day before finally being dismissed for 258 off 198 balls with 30 fours and 11 sixes. In the process he made the highest score for England in South Africa, he made the second fastest Test double century of all time and incredibly became the first England batsman in 50 years to score a Test century at Newlands.

Even allowing for the fact that South Africa went 21 years without Test cricket this latter statistic is a remarkable one.

Stokes’ performance will undoubtedly earn comparison with the sort of things the great Ian Botham used to do for England and the latter would certainly have given plenty of nods of approval for the way he went about things. One can only predict that the more he plays on the hard surfaces of Australia and South Africa where he has now scored two of his three Test centuries the more he is going to stamp his authority on the game.

He is more of a batting all-rounder but there is a touch of our own Eddie Barlow about the way he takes ball in hand and comes on to take vital wickets as he did with Stiaan van Zyl at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead and with Dean Elgar yesterday.

The game will certainly never be dull as long as he is involved and England’s future is looking increasingly bright with such young talents as himself and Joe Root and a team that generally has plenty of youthful vigour about it.

The record partnership between Stokes and Bairstow was the highest for any wicket in South Africa, beating the 385 of Greg Blewett and Steve Waugh for Australia at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in 2002 while the total of 629/6 declared was not far short of England’s 654/5 in the final innings of the notorious Timeless Test at Kingsmead in 1939.

It was not a day to blame the South Africa bowlers, particularly with their lack of experience, the field placings or the tactics. It was a day for anybody who loves cricket to feast on the entertainment dished up by Stokes in particular.

It was psychologically also important for England and left the Castle Lager Proteas with little option but to endeavour to bat for the next couple of days. It i by no means out of their reach with their two most senior batsmen well established at the crease.

Only three wickets fell on day two and two of those were run outs. It goes without saying that the one bowler to take a wicket was Stokes. He is that sort of cricketer and it was unquestionably his day.