England Beat Pakistan Without Stokes As Bazball Baton Passes To Brook

After England beat Pakistan at Multan without Ben Stokes, Harry Brook has shown he is a candidate to lead an even bolder new world.

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England’s Harry Brook (R) celebrates after scoring a triple century (300 runs) as his teammate Jamie … [+] Smith watches during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on October 10, 2024. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images) As England celebrated their record victory over Pakistan at Multan in the first Test, the engine room of Joe Root and Harry Brook were the heroes with almost 600 runs between them. Brook’s triple-hundred made the game look ridiculously easy. Root became England’s highest Test scorer. Bazball was in supersonic mode here. They were both as modest as each other, a Yorkshire batting couple who enjoy each other’s company at the crease but never look for the limelight when the lights are dimmed. Ben Stokes was just happy to run the drinks on and off the pitch during an exhausting five days. As England put a hot iron over the bones of another Green Shirts collapse on day four, Test Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew couldn’t help but notice how fit Stokes looked in practise. It’s a common theme now. Stokes is on the periphery, waiting impatiently on the boundary edge to roar back onto his green terrain. Visions of England carrying around their hobbled superstar in India at the World Cup this time last year immediately spring to mind. There’s always a chance that Stokes’s body won’t be the main specialist subject when England take to the cricket field. After all, he batted on one good leg before the World Cup when smashing 182 against New Zealand and during that incredible 155 at Lord’s in the Ashes. Wellness doesn’t appear to matter when a man breaks the human pain barrier as much as Stokes does. It will eventually though. Succession planning must be faced. As soon as England won by an innings at Multan, the conversations turned to how a returning Stokes would fit into the side. Would he be able to bowl? If he can only bat, who drops out? Is stand-in skipper Ollie Pope possibly at risk? It is two months since the 33-year-old was carried off with a hamstring injury when running a single for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred. Brook happened to be his captain at the time. Brook seems more at ease at the crease than Pope and has been touted as a future leader. The 25-year-old has played down any ambitions, but he captained the ODI team to a narrow 3-2 loss to Australia in September. It elevated his form to another stratosphere after a quiet Test summer with a strike rate of almost 128. Brook is in terrific shape and his strike rate in the five-day game is 88 compared to Stokes’s 58. England have played the last four Tests without their spiritual leader and won three of them. They have to start getting used to life without leaning on his considerable frame. Pope is one that needs to grow into his own shoes and stop the unhelpful chatter about his own zigzag scores. When Multan Part 2 comes around next week, the Surrey star will be desperate to get off the mark even if he is back in the ranks and not at the head of the ship. Stokes is here to stay. Brendon McCullum has indicated that his soul buddy is “all in” for the honor of playing for England in any format. McCullum is now white-ball coach which will tempt the all-rounder into more daring deeds. “I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England and I’m very happy and content with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game,” Stokes told Sky Sports in late September. However, that’s not the end if it. “If I get the call to come and play, then obviously it’s definitely going to be a yes. But I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t – it means that I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it.” Stokes and McCullum are almost egging each other on to go beyond what feels realistic now that the New Zealander has extended his contract. It’s a pretty full plate for the cool hand Kiwi that will cover the Ashes both home and away, the Champions Trophy, another T20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup. In an interview with the Telegraph, Stokes spoke of being involved on the big stage, suggesting that global tournaments were “hard to turn down.” There will be a time when it becomes unhealthy to direct so much energy around shoehorning the red-ball skipper into everything. No-one can blame ECB Managing Director Rob Key for squeezing every last bit of juice out of that zesty lemon. Stokes won the 2022 T20 World Cup, a format he’s never excelled in, when Pakistan threatened to snatch it away. MULTAN, PAKISTAN – OCTOBER 07: Ben Stokes of England on drinks duty on the boundary edge during day … [+] one of the First Test Match between Pakistan and England at Multan Cricket Stadium on October 07, 2024 in Multan, Pakistan. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) The ferocity of the Ashes challenge down under needs a strong character who can handle himself in the furnace. Stokes did that as a 22-year-old when blasting a century at Perth in 2013 but on the last COVID-affected tour he was unusually subdued. A Stokes-fest in Australia would be something to behold, but Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Brook need to earn their stripes when they engage the oldest enemy overseas. There’s a lot of heavy lifting in Australia when things go wrong. An England without Stokes isn’t supposed to happen for another three years. If his engine blows, Brook’s body of work and calm -as- you- like demeanor could be the start of Brookball. Now there’s a thought. One Community. 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