Ben Stokes: The sharpest weapon in England's armoury

South Africa tormented England in the second Test and then reduced the hosts to 120 for four in the first innings of the third Test. Morne Morkel and Chris Morris were breathing fire while Kagiso Rabada, returning from the one match ban, and Vernon Philander were impressive as well.

Another batting collapse looked on the cards as the England batsmen were outplayed by the visiting team. And then Ben Stokes happened.

The left-hander has very few skills of a traditional Test match batsman. He doesn’t like to wait for long periods and gets nervous after playing a few quiet overs.

His temperament is doubtful but he overcomes all these flaws with his daredevil attitude and the ability to tear apart bowlers in the most ruthless fashion.

Stokes’ aggressive counter-punch

Dismissive and ruthless: Stokes led England's counter-attack

He did exactly the same on the first day of the Oval Test. With England on the back foot and South Africa threatening to take the game as well as the series away from the hosts, Stokes launched the decisive counter-attack. He lasted for only 153 balls but during his stay, he destroyed South Africa’s hopes and created havoc by smashing the ball with ferocious power.

There was little grace in his hitting, and on most occasions, it was about complete dominance. He was ready to drive the ball and wasn’t scared of playing across the line when the South Africans bowled on his pads. His batting was the first instance of resistance South Africa faced in the third Test.

And they had no answer to it. His approach was perfectly reflected when he pulled Rabada for a four to bring up his fifty. The ball was banged in short and was outside the off-stump. With the field set on the square boundary for the pull shot, the England batsman smashed the ball over the fielder at mid-on.

It was a dismissive stroke that announced that Stokes was dictating the terms in this innings. With wickets falling at the other end, the left-hand batsman upped the ante and accelerated. The best of his batting came out when England were nine down and Stokes was close to a hundred.

Maharaj tore apart in royal fashion

With James Anderson standing at other end, Stokes plundered Keshav Maharaj by clobbering three consecutive sixes. The first six was the result of a judgmental error from Faf du Plessis who touched the boundary ropes with the ball still in his hands.

But the next two sixes were sheer power.

The first one was thrashed over long on and the next one into the square leg stand to produce batting of the highest standards. These three sixes pushed England’s score beyond South Africa’s reach and also brought up the England all-rounder’s hundred.

The impact of the sixes

Stokes smashing one of the three sixes that destroyed South Africa

The three sixes not only produced 18 runs but also dented South Africa’s confidence. The sheer power and ease with which Stokes hit the sixes made a psychological impact on the minds of the Proteas players, who watched helplessly as the ball landed way back in the stands. And England team wasn’t the same team after the Stokes show.

Toby Roland-Jones bowled a sensational spell in his debut innings and Anderson weaved his trademark magic with swing bowling. England werre full of life on the field and when they came back for the second innings, their batsmen played with authority and confidence.

These three sixes shifted the momentum and brought England in the driver’s seat.

Stokes, with all his flaws and limitations, is still their most impactful cricketer for these reasons. When he comes good, he shuts off the doors for the opposition and ruthlessly demolishes their confidence.

The sight of Stokes butchering bowlers forces the opposite teams to drop their weapons and surrender their glories. This is what makes the England all-rounder an essential cog in this team. He may have several awful days but when he has a good day at the office, he unleashes the beast mode.

Every team requires that magical moment which brings back confidence and pumps self-esteem. Stokes is the man responsible for creating that magic moment for England. On the first day, he ignited hope with the bat and on the fourth day he inspired his team-mates with the ball.

His unplayable yorker to Quinton de Kock was a treat to watch and on the very next ball, he sent back Du Plessis with a sharp in-swinger. These two wickets in two balls almost pushed the visitors into a dark hole from where coming back was not an option.

After four days of the third Test, England are on top of South Africa and they have done this after losing the previous Test by 340 runs. The redemption was done by their most impactful player, Stokes, who bats like there is no tomorrow and bowls his heart out.