Ben Stokes eager to deflect praise after leading England to second Test victory in South Africa

Stokes has never been one to take credit, nor one to snatch glory even when he’s deserving. Yet such an all-round performance in England's second Test victory is bound to draw high praise

“He’s a golden nugget, isn’t he?” said Joe Root of Ben Stokes. It’s certainly a unique nickname for a man who has been called many things over his career. But the performance that elicited it is nothing new.

With five catches in the first innings (six in the match) to help England to a 46-run first innings lead, a 72 off 47 that helped set South Africa a target of 438 and Stokes had one final trick when he took the last three South African wickets in 14 balls to seal a 189-run win with 50 balls to go. The series is 1-1 with two Tests to play.

Not everything went Stokes’ way. He felt undeserving of the man of the match award after Dom Sibley had notched a maiden Test hundred of 133 which put England in control and allowed the allrounder a platform from which to launch. Having tried and failed to drag Sibley along with him to the player-of-the-match presentation, he continued on in the changing rooms.

“So we are sitting next to each other in the dressing room and I walked in, gave it to him, and he put it in my place,” revealed Stokes. “I went ‘no’, and put it in his bag. I walked back in and it was back in my bag. I said ‘you’ve shafted me once by making me do the interviews, if it ends up back in my spot we are never sitting next to each other again’. He has got it now.

“Dom Sibley, 500 minutes at the crease for 130 and really setting the game up for us, and the hard work to bowl them out for 220 and getting a 46-run lead, those things can get forgotten when you have a finish like today. Cricket is a team sport, it’s always a team effort and is never down to one individual. Everyone at some point has put their hand up and done something in the crucial moments.”

As ever, he tried his best to deflect which, in part, is how he is wired. He has never been one to take credit, nor one to snatch glory even when he’s deserving. Such an all-round performance will draw high praise, naturally. For Stokes, it’s part of the job.

“I’m always wanting to do something in the moment of a game and the best thing about being an all-rounder is that there are four innings in a Test match so four opportunities to influence a game. I will always try to do that. Some days you will have games where you do jack shit, and others thing go well, so you take it as it comes.

“With the ball it’s just all about coming on and trying to make an impact behind Jimmy, Broady and Sam and the spinner or extra seamer if we play one. When you don’t get that many overs, there’s no point in just bowling nice seven overs for 10 and not trying to make anything happen. That’s how my role has changed with the ball, coming on and being someone who can change the game by bowling aggressively or however Joe wants me to.”

Even then, he’s not a slave to his captain, regardless of whether he’d run through a brick wall or not. There were 17 overs left in the match when he came on, three wickets to get. And whatever was happening at one end did not matter. Stokes was not giving up from the other.

“The more experienced you get, the more understanding of games you have. I knew that and I didn’t tell Joe but I said ‘you’re not getting the ball out of my hand here until this day is done”. It was one last push for this Test match, we have a few days off here so whether that game went a bit longer, I was running in and trying to put everything into every ball. For some reason it just started reverse swinging out of nowhere, which obviously helped getting the right handers nicking the ball.”

Typically in Stokes’ world, this virtuoso display has been one part of a full on few weeks. He fell sick on the opening day of the first Test in Centurion, but worse preceded all that when his father, Ged, was taken seriously ill on Christmas Eve. He arrived at a Johannesburg hospital in a critical condition and, while his situation has improved considerably, he remains there for monitoring. For Ben, it has put everything in context, but the upturn in his father’s healthy, above all else, remains his and his family’s biggest win of the tour.

“2020 can only really go downhill from here after that. I’ve had a few knee issues and stuff like that, but this game here I’ve got the three Lions on my chest which is such a proud thing to be standing on a field doing. But I always had my Dad in the back of my mind, and that took any injury worries or niggles out of my head. I was thinking that he came out here to watch me and unfortunately he’s not been able to so there was a lot more in my efforts this game, doing it for him. I haven’t managed to speak to him yet but hopefully I’ve made him proud. I had a text off Mum but I haven’t read it yet.”

Though England head to the next Test in Port Elizabeth (starting 16 January) with their tails up, there are a few issues to contend with. James Anderson is struggling with a side injury that saw him bowl just three balls with the second new ball on day five, though he was able to take an important catch as a lame duck at leg slip to remove Rassie van der Dussen – the last of South Africa’s recognised batsmen.

Root confirmed Anderson, who picked up his 584th career dismissal when he removed nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj, the first of Tuesday’s eight wickets, will go for a scan alongside treatment. He is hopeful to have him available for the third Test but that seems unlikely given the nature of side strains and level of rest required to get back to full fitness.

Jos Buttler also faces a wait to see what reprimand he will receive from the ICC. He was caught on television, via the stump mics, swearing at Vernon Philander after the bowler did not move out of the way of a throw into the keeper. The penalty is, generally, one demerit point which should be sorted, one way or another, in the coming days.