England beat Pakistan without Stokes as Bazball’s bat passes to Brook

As England celebrated their record-breaking victory over Pakistan at Multan in the first Test, the engine room of Joe Root and Harry Brook were the heroes, convincing nearly 600 runs. Brook’s triple hundred made the game look absurdly easy. Root became England’s highest Test scorer. Bazball was in supersonic mode here. They were both as humble as they come, a pair of Yorkshire batsmen who enjoy each other’s company on the field but never seek the limelight when the lights are dim. Ben Stokes was just happy to have drinks on and off the pitch for five grueling days.

As England suffered another collapse on day four for the Green Shirts, Test Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew couldn’t help but notice how fit Stokes looked in training. It’s a common topic now. Stokes is on the periphery, waiting impatiently on the edge of the boundary to roar back to his green area. Visions of England carrying their limping superstar around India at the World Cup this time last year immediately come to mind.

There is always a chance that Stokes’ body will not be the main specialist topic when England take to the cricket field. After all, he hit one good leg before the World Cup when he scored 182 against New Zealand and during his incredible 155 in Lord’s in the Ashes. Feeling good doesn’t seem to matter when a man breaks through the barrier of human pain the way Stokes did. But it will happen eventually. Succession planning needs to be tackled.

As soon as England won by an innings at Multan, talks turned to how the returning Stokes would fit into the team. Would he be able to bowl? If he can only bat, who is out? Is stand-in captain Ollie Pope at risk? It has been two months since the 33-year-old suffered a hamstring injury while playing in a singles match for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred. Brook was its captain at the time.

Brook seems more calm in this situation than Pope and is touted as a future leader. The 24-year-old played down any ambitions, but in September he captained the ODI team that lost to Australia 3-2. After a quiet Test summer, it has taken his form to another stratosphere, with a strike rate of almost 128. Brook is in excellent form, with his strike rate in the five-day match standing at 88 compared to Stokes’ 58.

England have played the last four Tests without their spiritual leader and won three of them. They need to start getting used to life without relying on his large frame. The Pope is someone who has to live up to these big shoes. When Multan Part 2 releases next week, the Surrey star will be desperate to do well, even if she returns to the ranks and not at the helm of the ship.

Stokes is here to stay. Brendon McCullum has indicated that his soulmate is “all in” for the honor of playing for England in any format. McCullum is now a white-ball coach, which will tempt the all-rounder to do more daring things. “I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England and I’m very happy and satisfied with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game,” Stokes told Sky Sports in late September. However, this is not the end if so.

“If I get a call to come and play, of course I will definitely agree. But I won’t be too disappointed if I don’t – it means I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and get spanked.”

Stokes and McCullum are almost encouraging each other to push beyond what seems realistic now that the New Zealander has extended his contract. That’s quite a full plate for the cool Kiwi, with the Ashes both home and away, the Champions Trophy, another T20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup covered.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Stokes spoke about performing on the big stage, suggesting that global tournaments are “hard to turn down.” There will come a time when it will become unhealthy to direct so much energy into trying to push the red-ball captain into everything. No one can blame ECB Managing Director Rob Key for squeezing every last bit of juice out of that tangy lemon. Stokes won the 2022 T20 World Cup in a format he was never at his best at when Pakistan threatened to take it away from him.

The ferocity of the Ashes challenge down there requires a strong character that can handle the furnace. Stokes did so as a 22-year-old when he scored a century in Perth in 2013, but he was extremely depressed during the recent pandemic-affected tour. A Stokes Festival in Australia would be something to behold, but Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Brook must earn their dues by fighting their oldest foe overseas. There are a lot of hard things in Australia when things go wrong.

An England without Stokes shouldn’t happen for another three years. If his engine stalls, Brook’s work and calm demeanor as you like could be the beginning of Brookball. Now there is a thought.