Sizzling Stokes continues tradition

If England are to not only survive but thrive during their sub-continental slog this winter then they will need more days like this from Ben Stokes.

The 25-year-old is the latest player to take on the mantle of England’s all-round hero following Ian Botham and Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff.

And he showed just why on an intriguing third day of this first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

Stokes first made light work of Bangladesh’s batsmen with the ball, dismissing Mehedi Hasan, Sabbir Rahman and Kamrun Islam Rabbi during a mesmeric spell of reverse-swing bowling that saw him take three wickets for eight runs in six overs.

His dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim the previous evening had kept England in this match and Stokes’ overall figures of 4-26 were the best by an overseas seam bowler at this ground.

On a turning pitch that has seen spin dominate, Stokes, a man more used to the cold, wind and rain in the North-East of England, thrived in the searing heat. Indeed, these are conditions that would make most seam bowlers weep.

Yet Stokes made light of them and produced a performance that put his team on top in this Test.

England did their best to cede that advantage, collapsing to 4-46 and then 5-62 in a second innings that had seen them start with a 45-run lead.

Quick Single: Super Stokes rescues England

However, it seemed almost inevitable that Stokes would come to the rescue yet again, hitting 85 during a display of controlled aggression that helped his side end the day on 8-228, an overall lead of 273.

That makes England strong favourites to win this match, not just because their spinners will fancy their chances on this pitch but because they have the luxury of Stokes’ bowling again in Bangladesh’s run chase.

Allrounders of the Durham player’s quality are rare but he is also the beating heart of this England dressing-room.

Trevor Bayliss, England’s Australian coach, has spoken before about how Stokes is one of the team’s main leaders on the field.

And he is a man who clearly relishes the responsibility of bailing his team out in difficult situations.

That’s pretty handy considering England have five Tests in India after this series in Bangladesh. And the sight of Stokes exploiting a typical sub-continental surface to his advantage will offer captain Alastair Cook hope he will not have to rely totally on his spinners in the coming weeks.

The “mongrel” Bayliss admires so much in Stokes will be needed too with the bat. Yet a player who scored his maiden Test hundred against a rampant Australia side containing an almost unplayable Mitchell Johnson during the 2013 Perth Ashes Test has nothing to prove as a batsman.

That much was clear when he smashed the fastest Test double hundred by an England player in Cape Town earlier this year.

But he admitted this was his most mature innings.

“That’s probably the toughest conditions I’ve had so far in international cricket, especially first going in with all the men around the bat and the ball spinning as much as it was,” he said. “But it’s good to see I managed to get through that and put the team in a good position.

“It was definitely my most mature performance with the bat. I didn’t want to give my wicket away and make sure if I was going to get out it was a good ball. I tried to put the foot on the gas towards the end to try and get the lead up as high as we could but I’m happy with how it went."

Stokes’ last taste of the sub-continent came during a heart-breaking final over of the World T20 final against West Indies in Kolkata in April, when Carlos Brathwaite hit him for four successive sixes to rip the trophy from England’s grasp.

That was a disappointment that could have broken lesser men. But Stokes has recovered and is looking stronger than ever.