Ben Stokes was so ashamed by street brawl arrest, I knew he’d turn a corner – now he’s a World Cup winner, says Andrew Strauss
BEN STOKES emerged from a night in police cells, shame-faced, but his boss knew everything would be OK.
For the first time, Andrew Strauss has spoken about the immediate aftermath of Stokes’ arrest in September 2016 following a street fight in Bristol.
And what struck Strauss straightaway was the Durham all-rounder’s response to such a low point in his life.
Now, 22 months later, Stokes is a World Cup final man of the match, a national sporting hero and a calmer, more responsible character.
As managing director of the England team, Strauss was one of the first to be told of Stokes’ predicament following a drunken brawl.
He immediately jumped in his car and drove to Bristol. Strauss recalled: “I remember going to the police station and spending a long time with Clare, his wife, waiting for him to come out of jail.
“What struck me was his character because he stood up and said ‘I’ve got this horribly wrong. I apologise sincerely for what I’ve done’.
“From that moment on, I thought it was going to be a good thing for him.
“I knew it would be very noisy and hard for us to navigate but people can go two ways after something like that.
It’s an easy story to say what happened in the World Cup is redemption for Ben but I just think it was one of English cricket’s great talents showing what he can do on the greatest stage
Strauss on Stokes
“Anyone who has played with Ben knows what an incredible person he is to have on your team.
“I think we’ve seen some of those rough edges smoothed a little over the last 12 or 18 months without him losing that competitive streak and incredible desire to win.”
Strauss, 42, was in charge of England from 2015 until giving up the job in 2018 to look after his wife Ruth, who died of a rare form of lung cancer in December.
His decisions to keep Eoin Morgan as captain, prioritise white-ball cricket and hire Trevor Bayliss as head coach mean Strauss is one of the key architects of the World Cup triumph.
He added: “It’s an easy story to say what happened in the World Cup is redemption for Ben but I just think it was one of English cricket’s great talents showing what he can do on the greatest stage.
“It was amazing to see that. And not just him doing it but for his family, too, who have been through so much alongside him.”
Many compare Stokes, 28, to Andrew Flintoff, the all-round star of England’s epic Ashes victory in 2005 when Strauss was captain.
FREDDIE 2.0?
And, true enough, they can both transform a match with bat, ball and fielding. But Strauss believes that is where the parallels end.
He said: “I think they are very different people, actually. Both great cricketers in their own right but different personalities.
“I think the levels of adulation Ben will receive will be hard.
“That was a burden for Freddie — he often lived up to it and that was great. But, increasingly, he was under more pressure to be the man every time. That’s a big burden.
“Ben is quite a quiet guy. Fred was a bit more of a showman. And they have slightly different approaches to their cricket.
“They are both aggressive players and there are marked similarities in wanting to be involved in all three phases of the game.
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“You think about Fred running out Ricky Ponting in the 2009 Ashes, you think about Stokesy’s catch on the boundary in the first match of the World Cup.
"They produce great bowling spells and extraordinary batting performances.
“Ben has the ability to be an outstanding batsman. Fred was more of a batsman who played outstanding innings rather than an outstanding batsman.”