Ben Stokes has long been the face of England’s Test cricket, and his credentials as a genuine match-winner are beyond debate. Few players in the modern game possess the ability to change the course of a match with either bat or ball, often doing so under immense pressure. Those qualities were a major factor behind the ECB handing him the captaincy in April 2022, at a time when Joe Root was battling inconsistent results, and the team looked short on direction. Ben Stokes vs Virat Kohli: How context shapes a captain’s legacy.(Reuters and PTI) Stokes’ elevation coincided with the arrival of Brendon McCullum as head coach, a partnership that was meant to signal a fresh start. The two share a...
