Ben Stokes is slipping alarmingly from England’s greatest asset to a liability they are struggling to carry
Alan Gardner08-Dec-2014For England in Sri Lanka so far, it has been a case of tinkering underneath the hood, fixing a sprocket here, changing a fan belt there, keeping their one-day jalopy on the road, never mind the dents and the flaking paintwork and that ominous whirring sound coming from the exhaust. England are on a World Cup road trip and, for now, they are just trying to keep the engine running and the costs down – although they did allow themselves the luxury of a nice new air freshener by picking James Taylor on Sunday.It has become an increasingly bumpy ride for Ben Stokes, the allrounder who would be king. It is not hard to find people to wax on about the 23-year-old – Steve Harmison recently said he was one of the best young players he had seen, while Ashley Giles called Stokes one of England’s “greatest assets” before he was selected in the Ashes touring party last year – yet his performances in Sri Lanka have been more pauper than prince.In three matches, his impact has been limited to 22 runs in two innings and, more significantly, eight overs at a cost of 85. He was retained for the fourth ODI in Colombo against the instincts of those who felt England could do with another spin option on a dry pitch – prompting the explanation from stand-in captain Eoin Morgan that the team management were taking the long view and trying to give Stokes a run in the side in order to prove his World Cup credentials.It is a case of short-term pain for England, who are now 3-1 down in the series with three to play, but the situation currently does not look like being much fun for Stokes, either. He has had problems with the footholds in his delivery stride, causing him to scowl and scuff the turf, and has struggled to adjust to playing international cricket in the subcontinent for the first time. Even his fielding, normally among England’s best, has suffered. Perhaps a trip into the cooler hill country, where the next two games will be played in Pallekele, can provide some respite.Taylor hungry for more opportunities
James Taylor described scoring 90 in only his third ODI as “bittersweet” after England lost in Colombo to go 3-1 down in the series but said he felt he had proved a point to those who said he did not have the game to play at international level.
Taylor made the highest score by an England No. 3 since Jonathan Trott’s century against New Zealand at Southampton in 2013 to strengthen his claim on a World Cup spot. He said he would bat wherever asked to by Peter Moores and Alastair Cook and believes he can still play better – although he was unsure whether it will turn out to have been another “one-off opportunity” with Cook due to return from suspension in Pallekele.
“Having not played for a while and been waiting in the wings it was nice to prove a point to a lot of people but I knew I could do it,” he said. “It is nice that I have scored a few runs now so I have got the confidence if I get another opportunity to do it again.
“In the past there has been some great players playing for England and this is probably been the first time that a real gap has opened up and allowed me to even get in the squad. I finally got given that chance and I took it by scoring 90 but obviously I would have liked to score a few more runs.
“I tried to do exactly what I did in county cricket this year and I think you saw a lot of that in my innings. It wasn’t my most fluent and the positive thing is I think I can play better. But I got the runs on the board and got the team in a decent position which I think is my job but unfortunately we couldn’t quite build on that.”
For some, it was always going to be this way. The potential issues with playing a series in Sri Lanka as part of preparations for a World Cup in Australasia were clear from the outset. For the seam attack, it is like being asked to audition for a role as head chef at a five-star hotel with only one pan, a cheese grater and half the ingredients required by the recipe.In the last two games, England have inclined towards playing Moeen Ali as their main spin option, partly because of his continuing progress and because they already know the qualities James Tredwell offers, but also with vivid memories of how the offspin of Graeme Swann and Tredwell was brutalised in Australia 12 months ago. That has left Stokes being asked to chop vegetables with a blunt knife, although one which could still result in a bloody fingertip.If Stokes does become a casualty, it will be reasonable to question whether England have made best use of his abilities. Before coming away, Stokes spoke of securing a defined role within the team; in the previous series against India, he had discussed batting at No. 7 with Peter Moores, England’s head coach, and produced only his second 30-plus score in the win at Headingley. He has since been shuffled down to No. 8, despite considering himself a top-six batsman, and seems ill at ease with the requirement to rein himself in and build a partnership, as has been the case in his two innings.His lack of form with the ball means he has been left picking up the bits-and-pieces. Whereas at the end of the 2013 season Giles had seen fit to use Stokes as a third seamer – he capped the series with a five-wicket haul at Southampton – England now turn to him only under duress. Being hit out of the attack by Kusal Perera early in the opening match did not help his cause but he was the sixth bowler to be used in Hambantota and the seventh on Sunday, each time afforded only two overs. England may claim to be sticking with him but they are not using a strong adhesive.Two of the current 15-man squad will not make the final cut for the World Cup – although England are expected to take an extra bowler with them for the tri-series in Australia preceding the tournament, as cover for the returning James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Stokes and Harry Gurney, both of whom have yet to take a wicket in Sri Lanka, appear the most vulnerable, unless England decide to dispense with a specialist batsman.While Stokes has steadily regressed in a format he is still getting to grips with, Chris Jordan appears to have undergone a thorough refit and was England’s best bowler in the last match. His resurgence after a period of wides-strewn excess should provide Stokes with the hope he can do something similar.Great heroes always have their flaws and, long before he broke his wrist punching a locker in anger, Stokes has worn his like the markings on his tattooed biceps. There is a theory that he thrives on responsibility, the sort pushed his way at Durham, for whom innings of 164 and 38 not out in the semi-final and final helped win the Royal London Cup in September. At 23, he is about to become a father for the second time. He will hope that the tricky decision about whether to return from the World Cup and attend the birth or not is still his to make.
