The previous occasion England had to manage without Ben Stokes for a period of time, they were almost whitewashed. In the Ashes defeat of 2017-18 in Australia, with Stokes absent, they not only missed his runs, wickets, catches and priceless ability as a genuine all-rounder to balance the team, but they missed his presence and character as well. Most likely, England would still have been beaten by Australia — they lost the five-Test series 4-0 — even with Stokes, who will miss the final two Tests of this summer against Pakistan for family reasons. Oddly, since his Test debut seven years ago, England’s win-loss-draw ratio has not been affected by his availability: in 67 Tests with him, they have won 30, lost 29 and drawn

Source: The Times August 12, 2020 16:07 UTC