And so farewell Ben Stokes, perhaps the greatest, certainly my favourite, cricket player of his era and some might say of any era. His surprise announcement today that he was retiring from international cricket has saddened those of us who love the man’s unique talent and his charismatic inspirational qualities, not to mention the inevitable flaws in his character, which perversely endear him to me even more. Yet there was something else utterly heartwarming that happened at today’s third test in Nottingham: it was when Stokes got out.
England’s captain had decided to open the batting in his final innings, throwing caution to the wind in pursuit of an unlikely victory, a strategy that came undone when he was caught out for 30. While New Zealand celebrated this massive wicket, their humanity came to the fore. Opening batsman Devon Conway went out of his way to shake hands with the departing Englishman and to exchange a few kindly words. In the height of battle, sportsmanship came first. Of course, Conway and his players want to win – that’s why they play cricket – but they reacted in a way that true sportsman do by acknowledging the greatness of an opponent who soon will be an opponent no more.
The diving, whining, cheating footballers would do well to learn from this. We can all learn from it. Just be kinder, gentler. Play the game hard and fair, but come on. It isn’t hard to be a better human being, to show a bit of class, to rise above the battle at its most ferocious. I will never forget the greatness of Ben Stokes, but I will also never forget the actions of Devon Conway and his team mates.
It’s a terribly sad day for cricket fans who will likely never see one of its heroes play Our Summer Game again. But it’s a better day for cricket and life in general. That matters more.
