Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes (2022)

Ben Stokes took a break from cricket due to mental health issues in July 2021. Stokes career had seen the dizzying heights of world cup success in 2019 and the lows of a public brawl outside a pub, due to which he was charged with affray. It is April 2021. Neil Fairbrother is Ben's manager. Neil remembers that Ben called him at 6 am and was having a proper panic attack.

He had broken a finger and was in a lot of pain. Steve Griffin was the physio of the England team at the time. Rehabilitation is painful. Ben is married to Clare. He has 2 kids: Layton & Libby. Ben was at the peak of his career. Had an IPL deal for 1. 75 M pounds. He had hit the fastest test century at Lords. He had the ability to change matches all by himself. A perfect all-rounder. Helped win back the Ashes in 2015. He broke down after the death of his dad. He lashes out at the Sun newspaper for publishing a story on murders of Ben's half-brother and half-sister, 3 years before he was born. He calls it despicable. Ben's mother's partner at the time, murdered her 2 kids and committed suicide. Bristol pub brawl, global pandemic, death of his dad, and mother put through this incredibly traumatic experience. It all came together at the same time. Ben calls time on his cricketing career in July 2021. Ben grew up in Cumbria. He is the son of a New Zealand rugby league player Gerard Stokes and studied his cricket at Cockermouth. Ben grew up in the country, before his father decided to move to the city to give better prospects to Ben. Deb is Ben's mother and knew he wasn't happy about moving out of the countryside. Ben was an aggressive child. Roaming around Cumbria and Cockermouth, he still remembers all the fights he had growing up. He loved animals. He attended the Durham academy one summer when he was 13 or 14 years old. Ben enjoyed the game and didn't care if he played for England or for Durham or for any other team. Ben was always willing to go above and beyond. He got the nickname "The Beast". Ben makes his first-class debut for Durham. In 2016, Eden Gardens, T20 World Cup final against the west indies. Stokes bowled the last over with WI needing 19 to win. Stokes gets hit for 3 6's in the first 3 balls. England loses the match. Ben was devastated. Sep 2017, Bristol is when Ben is arrested after a bar fight in which he punches a guy unconscious. A video comes out in which Ben is clearly provoked, gets into a fight, and punches a guy out on the roads outside a bar. According to Ben, the guys he hit were abusing 2 other men for being gay. One the guys brought out a bottle and hit Ben's friend, at which point Ben went berserk. He was drunk and was charged with affray. Max sentence is 3 years. Media picks on Ben as the main story and distorts all the facts around what happened that night. Ben was already suspended over the incident. He missed the tour to Australia, where England lose the Ashes. He goes to New Zealand to meet his parents. Ben lost the desire to play and tells so to Neil. Ben was eventually found not guilty of Affray. But the ordeal continued. He felt let down by members of the ECB. In 2019, Ben was determined to redeem himself. it was the ODI world cup. England had dominated the competition and was in the finals against New Zealand. England needed 15 runs from 7 balls. Ben refuses a single from the first 2 balls of the last over to keep the strike. Still 15 to win in 4 balls. Ben hits a 6. And then Ben runs back for 2, the incoming throw hits his bat and runs away for 4. England is awarded 6 runs for this 4th ball as well. 3 runs needed from 2 balls. Ben gets one run from the 5th ball, but Rashid runs himself out to get Ben back on strike. 2 runs needed from 1 ball. Ben gets a single off the last ball and the match goes to a super over. England bat first in the super over. Butler and Ben come out. They score 15. Joffra Archer bowls the super over. NZ needed 2 to win from the last ball, but get only 1, as there is a run out. It is a tie and England win as they had more boundaries in the match vs New Zealand. Ben Stokes is the player of the match. March 2022, Ben is back to training in WI. He is the hardest trainer in the game. Pushes himself to the extreme. Covid touring is brutally tough. You are isolated and with lots of time on your hands. Away from family, with nothing you can do to help them. Gerard got terminal brain cancer. He spends as much as possible with his family. Ben dominates the West Indies series. He is selected for the Ashes tour after his return from his break in 2021. 2019 Ashes in England. England were 1-0 down going into the 3rd test at Headingly. Australia all out for 187. England all out for 67 and Australia turn the match on its head. Media writes that England don't want to win the ashes. Its abject surrender. Australia set a score of 359 to win. England get to the end of day 4 with 3 wickets down. Ben is at the crease. 203 to score on the last day. England continue to lose wickets, but Ben continues to score. England are 9 down with 72 to score. Ben goes on the attack. Catches are dropped and Lyon misses a run out chance with a fumble. Ausland burn their last review with less than 5 to win. Lyon has a clear LBW against Stokes which is not given, and Australia have no more reviews. Ben Stokes wins it for England. It was the greatest innings ever played in an Ashes test match. Gerard Stokes passed away in Dec 2020. Durham Oct 2021. Ben loved cricket. He could never truly give it up. The break lasted for 3 months. Ben goes back to the nets. After the tour to Australia, he is named the new captain of the England men's test cricket team. He brings in the era of Baz ball.