BEN STOKES has been having fun these past few days. But now hes into the serious stuff.
And, for the astonishing all-rounder, it doesnt get any more serious than trying to guide his team into a strong position in a vital Test match.
So far, Stokes has scored 38 not out and put on 76 with Ollie Pope for the fifth wicket as England reached 224-4 on an attritional first day of the Third Test.
Pope has been the more fluent and resumes this morning with 39 not out. But Stokes is the big one, the man whose performance is most likely to shape Englands 500th away Test.
While the other batsmen were all dismissed between 25 and 44 – a common malaise for this England team – Stokes was utterly determined not to chuck it away.
He might have been out for ten, a sharp chance offered to Pieter Malan at short leg off Keshav Maharaj.
But he was prepared to be patient and defensive, restricting himself to a couple of pull shots and the odd booming drive.
In the nets on Monday, Stokes did a remarkably accurate impersonation of Mitchell Johnson even to the extent of pinging the ball down at more than 80mph with his left arm.
Sadly, it was not filmed for posterity. Perhaps Stokes will do it again before long.
But the cameras were clicking on Wednesday when he walked around the outfield on his hands like an Olympic gymnast.
WALKING WOUNDED
That was also the day he was named the ICC World Player of the Year with the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy added to his growing pile of personal pots following his heroics in 2019.
Such stuff could not have been farther from Stokes thoughts, of course, as he attempted to carry an England team that has seen too many bandages and pills in recent weeks.
Three of the intended first XI – Rory Burns, James Anderson and Jack Leach – have gone home and a fourth, Jofra Archer, has missed two Tests and could be done for the series.
On top of that, eleven players have suffered from the lurgy at various times.
Stokes continues to play with the worry of his dad Ged being in a hospital in Johannesburg.
But, after his dramatic three-wicket burst that sealed Englands series-levelling win in Cape Town, he also continues to be the dominant figure.
Joe Root won the toss for the fifth time out of five this winter and Mark Wood was given the nod as replacement for Anderson.
Wood will be looking for some high-velocity reverse swing later in the match although the Proteas pacemen failed to get much movement.
STRONG OPENING
Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley batted throughout the morning session without being parted.
Astonishingly, their 31-over liaison was Englands longest opening partnership batting first in a Test since Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss put on 196 in 47.5 overs against Australia at Lords in 2009.
There was little fancy, just watchful accumulation on a slow surface that discouraged extravagant strokeplay.
Sibley was eventually caught at backward square leg and Crawley departed in similar fashion to a fine diving catch by Rassie van der Dussen.
Joe Denly – who reached double figures for the 21st time in a career of 24 Test innings but, not for the first time, failed to go on to something meaningful – was lbw when a review showed the ball hit his pad first.
When Root was bowled by a ball that kept a little low, England had lost four wickets for 78 runs and were a touch of strife at 148-4.
Kasigo Rabada had two wickets and the way he ran down the pitch to celebrate Roots wicket and roared in front of the departing England captain was borderline acceptable behaviour.
The pitch appeared to be playing plenty of tricks either side of tea and left-arm spinner Maharaj was extracting considerable turn on day one.
But Stokes and Pope quelled South Africas surge and England should be well ahead of the game if they can get close to 350.
