Jacob Bethell: Ben Stokes explains England selection of 21-year-old
After returning from Pakistan, England lost 1-2Stokes announced on social media that a gang broke into his house during the second Test while Clare was home with their two children. A 32-year-old man had since being arrested.
Asked if he was considering leaving the tour, Stokes replied: “I actually did. My wife told me not to do it. I always tell the lads, this kind of thing comes first . I asked my wife and she insisted that I needed to leave and stay outside.”
On the field, Stokes endured one of his “toughest” journeys in Pakistan. The all-rounder missed the first Test while recovering from a hamstring injury and then struggled in the last two Tests.
He apologized to the team after showing frustration at a missed catch in the second Test, and curiously did not play any shots LBW in the third second innings. McCallum then said England must “embrace” Stokes.
“I was so focused on myself for a long time trying to come back from injury that I actually really drained myself and ruined myself,” Stokes said. “It definitely did a lot for me. There was some kind of spiritual impact.
“It made me realize that I couldn’t put myself in a situation like this again because it would have a huge impact not only on myself but the team as well.
“There’s no doubt that when things don’t go well, my frustration comes out. Everybody around me is walking on eggshells because they can feel it.”
The captain said he “cleared the air” with the players when they arrived in Queenstown last week to prepare for the series.
Stokes traveled to New Zealand ahead of the England squad to surprise his family in Christchurch.
Stokes was born here in 1991 and moved to Wellington when he was 10 and to Cumbria when he was 12, where his father Ged found work as a rugby league coach. Ged died in 2020, but Stokes’ mother Deb and brother James remain in Christchurch.
“This tour is more than just cricket to me,” Stokes said. “It’s an opportunity to be with family that I don’t get to see. You know, the Stokes family are almost all in Christchurch.”
