Ben Stokes smiled as he revealed his wife’s reaction to him becoming the captain charged with dragging England away from rock bottom of the Test cricketing world.
‘It was funny,’ said Stokes, relaxed in his home environment of Durham. ‘When I told Clare she was like ‘oh no.’ But all the family are very proud. When I told my mam she said she needed to go away for 10 minutes before ringing me back. Just the emotion of it all.’
There was emotion, too, as Stokes thought about the biggest influence on his career, his father Ged who died, aged 65, of brain cancer nearly 18 months ago. ‘He followed me everywhere,’ said Stokes. ‘Watched every game. He thought he knew better than me. If he was still around he’d be telling me how to do this job already! But, yeah, he’d be very proud.’
Ben Stokes was officially unveiled as England's new Test team captain on Tuesday
There will be plenty of people on hand to tell Stokes how to deal with the challenge of bucking history and making a success, as a genuine all-rounder and multi-format player, of the England captaincy. But clearly he will be very much his own man. 'I will go with my gut,' he said plainly.
This was an impressive first appearance in front of the media as captain from Stokes, from his desire for ‘selfless’ players in his own image, to the insistence that everyone was starting with a ‘clean slate’ and his passion both for Test cricket and making England ‘great again.’
There was also a clear indication that, far from reducing his bowling to relieve the pressures on his workload, he intends to have the ball in his hand as much as ever, moving down the order from five to six so he can concentrate equalling on batting and bowling.
The England all-rounder made an impressive first appearance in front of the media
But above all there was a maturity in his reaction to concerns over whether this all-action character and no stranger to controversy can cope with the scrutiny and responsibility that will come with high office, particularly as he took a four-month break last year to prioritise his mental health.
‘I took that break because I needed to,’ said Stokes. ‘I spoke with someone (a therapist) and I will continue to do so but I don’t see that as a negative.
‘I see not only that but lots of stuff I’ve been through, on the field and off it, as positives because I feel I can relate to anything going forward. If any of the young players, or older ones, are struggling with anything then I’ve been that person in the dressing room. I hope their attitude to me doesn’t
