Ben Stokes’ Form Has Waned Annually in Test Cricket

Ben Stokes' ongoing struggles at the bat keep accumulating, and ex-England skipper Michael Atherton thinks the timing could not be worse.

With England reeling in the aftermath of a humiliating loss to India in the second Test at Edgbaston, Atherton opines Stokes' declining batting form is a cause of increasing concern, particularly when solid leadership is most required.

Atherton rates this India series as the greatest test of Stokes' three-year captaincy so far. The stakes are getting higher ahead of the third Test at Lord's, where Stokes last had a century two years ago—his 13th in Test cricket—during an Ashes encounter.

"To compound the issues of consecutive matches, minimal rest, a heavy loss and poor judgment is his own style with the bat, one which has deteriorated with each passing year in the job," Atherton wrote in his Times column.

Atherton pointed out that Stokes, who had chosen to concentrate on Test cricket only, is left with no match rhythm—something which he is in dire need of as England's leader. "As a specialist one-format player who plays little cricket other than Tests — sometimes by his own choice — Stokes is in the embarrassing position of being short of rhythm and form at the very moment he must lead from the front," he clarified.

Contrarily, Atherton complimented Indian skipper Shubman Gill for his dominant performances against the bowling of England—specifically spin. "Whereas Stokes has appeared brittle against spin, his counterpart is dominating. Gill's gains in this series have been gigantic and the win at Edgbaston was catalyzed by his vision, single-mindedness and determination."

He noted England's strategy against Gill has not worked. "England have a plan for Gill to look to hit his stumps early on, by backing him onto his pads and running the ball back, but he has not seemed like getting out. Gill's fatigue after Edgbaston will be of an entirely different sort to Stokes's."

Looking forward to Lord's, Atherton thinks England's pace unit requires revitalizing and calls for the services of Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson, even though both are not yet very heavily tested in recent red-ball cricket.

"Obviously the pace attack needs renewing. When the SOS went to Archer in 2019 during the Lord's Test as a means of curbing Steve Smith, the fast bowler was operating at the highest level despite not playing Test cricket. Will he be as effective as he was? Can he be? His preparation for five-day cricket after just one first-class match in four years is an entire unknown, but he will undoubtedly play," Atherton stated.

Atkinson, who was back from hamstring injury, also received encouragement from the judgment of Atherton, primarily due to his previous success at the ground. "Gus Atkinson has a great record at Lord's with both bat and ball, but hasn't played since straining his hamstring against Zimbabwe six weeks ago.". Archer partnership is a risk, but if taken (one can only hope they are in shape once picked in the team) it means that the third seamer has to be prepared to bowl long spells.

Atherton also questioned the available pace options. "But (Chris) Woakes, whose excellent record at Lord's is matched only by Jimmy Anderson's, is 36 and has taken three wickets at 96 in this series. His likely stand-in, Sam Cook, was unimpressive on his one Test."

Despite the tough circumstances, Atherton cautioned against hasty decisions. “Panicked changes are rarely the way to go after defeat. I’d keep faith with the batting and freshen up the seam attack, bringing in Archer and Atkinson for Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse. Right now, though, you’d want to be in Gill’s shoes not England’s. What a test of leadership this is for Stokes.”