Ben Stokes stars again as England win second Test to square series with West Indies

England win by 113 runs

A total of 254 runs across both innings for once out. The slowest of his 10 Test hundreds to set up a bumper first innings of 469 for nine, followed up on the morning of day five by his second-fastest half-century having opened the second innings. A West Indies win taken out of the equation with a lead of 311 by, essentially, one man.

One man who also bowled 25.4 overs across both innings, featuring an 11-over spell in each for a couple of momentum-shifting wickets of set batsmen daring to take matters beyond England’s control. Of the second Test’s 350.1 overs, he was off the field for just 50.4 overs – before and after his 356-ball first innings of 176 – plus a brief 15 minutes on day four with a bout of indigestion. Even when he pulled up lame four balls into what would be his final over of the match, he stayed on in the field at slip for the remaining two deliveries to help out there. Only when the job was done, and England had won, did he finally walk off.

Ben Stokes will tell you the only numbers that count are the 113-run margin of victory and the “1” next to England’s name on the series tally that leaves us all square going into the third and final Test on Friday. But no one will be in any doubt that without those numbers, England would not have had a sniff of obtaining a win that required cunning, graft and a degree of computation after a washout on day three. Even with this all-action performance, West Indies were only bowled out for 198 within the final hour of the game.

We are well passed the stage of repeating ourselves when talking about Stokes. Cycling through the numbers, as at the top, goes some way to comprehending the man's qualities. Then there are the things that count but can’t be counted, like chasing a Jermaine Blackwood straight drive off his own bowling when the field had everyone around the batsman for Stokes' gut-busting bumpers

Even that was a repeat of something he did in Sri Lanka at Colombo back in November 2018. Two balls later, he bounced out Blackwood to end a 100-run partnership on the stroke of tea. Most allrounders make things happen. Stokes just gets shit done.

Countless formulations were being done on England’s route to victory on Monday morning. Stuart Broad wondered the night before if 270 would be enough, but cited the importance of two cracks with a new ball.

Working backwards, that meant more than 80 overs at West Indies. With 96 in the day and two for the change of innings, whatever needed to be added to the overnight lead of 219 had to be done quickly. Sunday evening’s botched attempt at quick runs was summed up by Jos Buttler falling for a duck as only 37 for two were managed off eight overs, with a single boundary off the bat. There was no mistake on Monday morning.

Stokes flicked the switch internally: 62 off 39 deliveries in the morning session helping England to 92 runs in 11 overs. Four fours and three sixes boosting a lead but, importantly, giving them all of 85 overs to find 10 wickets.

They would need just nine of them to find the first three, and just five deliveries for the first. John Campbell was still nursing the pain of dropping Stokes on 29 – he went on to add 48 from the next 34 deliveries – before he was tempted into a drive by Broad.

There was not much of an appeal from a bowler who does so more than most, or Buttler behind the stumps. Stokes, seemingly the only person with any strong opinion on the matter, insisted on a DRS review which Root took as the timer flicked to zero seconds having come down 15. A mere flick of the back edge was registered and England were on their way.

Despite Broad singling out the dismissal of Kraigg Brathwaite as the key to victory, it would be Woakes who snared it with a delivery moving in late enough and sharp enough to trap the right-hander on the crease. Similar did for Shai Hope, though Broad was the recipient of this one with no pad in the way to stop off stump from being rearranged this time.

Lunch was taken with West Indies 25 for three and England in the ascendancy. A fourth-wicket would arrive four overs later when Broad’s unwavering full, straight ones with just enough movement found Roston Chase in front.

That would end up being England’s lot with the new ball as Shamarh Brooks and Jermaine Blackwood got comfortable. Brooks, though, was given a reprieve of sorts when England did not decide to review a rising delivery that looked to have snared either an edge or a glove through to Buttler when he was on just 17.

Despite a much stronger appeal than what came before Campbell’s review, Root was satisfied with the on-field call of not out. A whiff of an edge was shown on the replay, much to the dismay of everyone out there. Brooks did not look back, loosening his shoulders to enjoy these tense moments, striking a couple of sixes, the second of which only just cleared Woakes at long to bring up his second half-century of the match from 95 deliveries.

Ben Stokes hits a six on his way to 78 not-out (Getty)

Blackwood, by contrast, needs no extra incentive to play his shots. And, despite coming to the crease later than Brooks, he got to 50 first and used just 81 balls. There were no sixes for him, but that did not mean his seven boundaries weren't in the air. It's tough not to love a batsman who fights fire with gasoline.

Learning from the match-winning 95 at the Ageas Bowl, Root populated Blackwood’s scoring areas against the short ball – flip sip and fly gully to accommodate leg gully and short leg – and wound Stokes up and set him off for yet another spell of exclusively short bowling with a ball that had lost its hardness.

It was 10 overs into day four’s spell of 11 that he was rewarded with the wicket of Brathwaite in West Indies first innings. This time, it came earlier – with the fourth delivery of the eighth over – preceded two balls earlier by Stokes chasing after Blackwood’s off-drive off his own bowling. Pointless, in the end. But a statement of bloody-minded intent.

Three balls and greater effort later, another delivery roared up at Blackwood’s rib cage who, like a worn out boxer, threw a loose glove and was clocked accordingly. Buttler scampered to his left to make the ground for an important catch – one that sent both teams inside for tea with England needing five more dismissals and West Indies eyeing up the 42.2 overs of batting rather than the remaining 177 runs.

The new batsman, Shane Dowrich, did not last long, removed four balls after the break to bring up his pair of noughts and Woakes’ 100th Test wicket. The next for England would take much longer – long enough for the nerves for the usual final day anxieties to start toying with the mind, just as they did at the Ageas Bowl. But Sam Curran’s left-arm from around the wicket was able to finally see off Brooks for 62 to open up an end.

Dom Bess, who struggled to maintain his lengths, came back from a six over his head to bowl Jason Holder through the gate for 35, seeing the back of West Indies’ last recognised batsman with the best ball he bowled. The choice words that followed were more of a reflection of Bess’ frustrations with himself than anything the West Indies captain deserved.

Before Stokes pulled the pin on his own input, he removed Alzarri Joseph via a catch to Bess at backward point. It would leave him with figures of two for 30 before his body pleaded with him to stop. Bess made sure the job was done, dismissing Kemar Roach with a fine catch at bat-pad by Ollie Pope, who parried and then gobbled up the chance for the final wicket with 14.5 overs to spare.

Of course, Stokes walked away with the player of the match award, those series numbers now swelling to an average of 114 and 16.3 from 343 runs and nine wickets respectively. Again, numbers he will tell you he does not care about. But those numbers combined with what we see highlight that though he may not end up as England's greatest batsman or greatest bowler - he is certainly on his way to finishing up as this country's greatest cricketer.