As a New Zealander who loves 'the thwack of leather upon willow,' it would be remiss of me to not mark the retirement of the great English cricketer, Ben Stokes.
Ashes winner, World Cup winner, 20/20 World Cup winner, he has done it all for England, and on one of those most memorable occasions he did it against us.
It seems to be the way of things for those in the public eye that they move from hero to villain as the commentariat decides. Stokes deserves to be remembered for his mighty feats, not for his failures. His retirement is a loss to all cricket.
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| Stokes on the way to World Cup glory against New Zealand |
What a talisman.
Agreed. That Headingley innings was barely believable, even as I watching it. It is hard to believe it now!
ReplyDeleteIt was superhuman, wasn't it?
DeleteAgree. As big consumer of cricket via the wireless for many , many years l find it all very surreal.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
I was hoping for some Ashes redemption for him, but it is not to be, sadly.
DeleteI don't really follow Cricket, but it does seem a shame for the Cricketing world. He's had a lot of bad press in England over the last few months. I'd guess that the hounding press has played a part in helping him make his mind up.
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems to be the way for any sportsperson these days. Built up and then beaten down. A bit of a sign of the times unfortunately!
DeleteCouldnt agree more!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
A man made for the battle, that's for sure.
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