Hungrier than Yuvraj Singh

You are 18 years old and as you walk to the crease in only your sixth first-class match you find your side 55 runs short of victory with six wickets left.

The experienced batsman at the other end is well set and despite scoring an unbeaten century in the first innings, you realise that chasing a winning target in the fourth innings is another challenge entirely.

The opposition have a bowler who has taken nearly 400 test wickets and another one who has played for Pakistan. They also have Amjad Khan who played one test for England, but you are not too worried about him.

So what do you do? Are you nervous when you take guard?

For most batsmen, especially those of tender years and such little experience the answers would be to give the strike to your batting partner as much as possible, and yes you are bloody nervous.

But Ben Stokes is not a normal inexperienced eighteen year old cricketer. He is not nervous and he is not cowed. In fact he is as cool as a cucumber.

He moves serenely to a run a ball 16. And then he sees that Joe Denly is about to bowl an over of part-time leg spin and he realises he is as hungry for runs as Yuvraj Singh would appear to be for his food.

Bang! Crash! Wallop! And five fours and a six later he has taken 26 off the over and won the game.

Ben Stokes, Future England Player, take a bow. That's the second time in two days we've said you will play for England. 

Comments

[housemonkey]

And born in New Zealand too damn it (which is where I'm from so if he becomes an international superstar I'll be very cross).

[The Reverse Sweep]

Get prepared to get cross House Monkey. I think Stokes is going to be a great player for England. Sorry!

[housemonkey]

Actually I don't mind really, given how shoddy the selection process often is here he'd probably end up with shattered confidence and underperforming anyway.

[The Reverse Sweep]

You Kiwis always punch above your weight though especially with Superdan running the show

[Mahek]

First Caddick and now Stokes. Add to it Strauss, KP, Trott, Prior, Morgan, Kieswetter. Man atleast find a few men born in your land :P