THE latest chapter in Ben Stokes incredible story has brought a cluster of questions and comparisons.
Is Stokes the best and most dynamic cricketer in the world? How does he compare with two other giant England all-rounders, Sir Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff?
One thing we do know is all three have been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year Botham in 1981, Flintoff in 2005 and Stokes in 2019.
There is little doubt Stokes has entered the pantheon of great cricketers with three remarkable performances in the past six months, not to mention all his previous exploits.
His latest effort came in the series-levelling Second Test victory over South Africa in Cape Town, with innings of 47 and 72 plus six catches and a match-winning three-wicket burst.
England head coach Chris Silverwood knows as well as anybody what makes Stokes so special and what he brings to the dressing room.
Silverwood said: Ben is a great asset to have, right up there with the best players in the world.
When it gets tough, hes the one you want. He fights and doesnt know how to give up. He did it again for us here. He picked the ball up, charged in and made things happen.
Its an inspiration for everyone around him. His energy gets everyone going.
I think youve all seen the way he trains. The hours and effort he puts in to make sure hes properly prepared, not only to perform himself but to get the best out of everybody, is amazing.
Any young kid seeing how he does things gets a real insight into what it takes to play international cricket.
Hes setting the standards from a fitness point of view. His attitude, time and time again, is superb. Hes a great talisman.
Players like Beefy, Freddie and Ben are great characters who have a lot of inner strength.
While Stokes, 28, is an established superstar, Englands new faces also made significant contributions to the countrys first Test win in Cape Town since 1957.
Four players were 22 or under Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Sam Curran and Dom Bess while Dom Sibley, 24, was playing only his fourth Test.
This gives England big encouragement for the future.
Silverwood added: Not everything is going to work straight away but I think were seeing things falling into place. Something like Sibley getting his first hundred was superb.
Sometimes young players have to make mistakes so they can learn. But I think it shows we have a bright future.
If we keep building, let the foundations set and believe in what were doing, well continue to see these guys be successful and build a team around them.
One of the youngsters Somerset spinner Bess arrived in South Africa as cover during the illness epidemic and ended up playing in a thrilling Test match.
He said: Its been a hell of a ride. I played Test cricket in 2018 and did OK but then fell off the radar a little.
I lost confidence in my game and have gradually been building that back up over the last two years.
Im only 22, so have time on my side, but to play here was amazing.
I was down at fine leg at one stage with the Barmy Army singing songs, looking at the view with Table Mountain in the background and thinking, Im such a lucky lad.
