Why Ben Stokes could be the hero England have been looking for

Ben Stokes of England bats during day five of 2nd Investec Test match between England and New Zealand

England's persistence with Ben Stokes is one of many areas where fans' patience with their side had been wearing thin. The supposed all-rounder had performed below expectations with both bat and ball and justifying his selection was becoming increasingly difficult. And then Lord's happened.

Stokes crunched the quickest ever Test hundred at the famous ground – his 85-ball assault trumped Mohammad Azharuddin's by two deliveries – to compliment his 92 in the first innings. The three New Zealand wickets he took on day five proceeded to rip the heart out of the Kiwi middle-order and provide England with a much-needed win. An also-ran no more, in one match, Stokes proved that he mattered.

Another foreign import – something England have become notoriously renowned for – Stokes was born to New Zealand parents in 1991 but moved to his adopted country when he was 12. His father, Gerard, is a rugby league player-turned-coach, and presently plying his trade for Serbia.

Both of Stokes' parents have since returned to Christchurch, and while now representing England, his mother said in view of his match-winning showing in the Lord's win over the Black Caps: "We always make sure he remembers his Ngapuhi roots." It is quite ironic that in light of the aggressive style New Zealand have embraced that Stokes is playing for England, whose game could not be more contrasting.

From New Zealand to England

Upon arriving in England, Stokes worked his way through the Durham ranks and made his List A debut against Surrey in 2009, bowling veteran Mark Ramprakash and Matt Spriegel as he took two wickets from his five overs, as Durham won by 60 runs.

His first-class debut came almost a year later against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Abu Dhabi, a city which despite being thousands of miles away, plays host to the English domestic season's curtain-raiser. Stokes struck a 50 and nabbed a wicket, and he was soon to become a regular feature for Durham in all formats.

Racking up runs and claiming wickets in county cricket soon brought him into contention for England in limited-over internationals; he was trialled in late 2011 against Ireland and India before becoming a more regular fixture in the summer of 2013. While struggling with the bat, Stokes recorded a five-wicket haul in Southampton against Australia in September of that year – his best figures to date.

It is the Test arena where Stokes has signalled his true potential though. And, for those Brits naïve or foolish enough to have stayed up into the early hours and witness Australia's 5-0 demolition of them in the most recent Ashes, the first indications of Stokes' star were already on display there.

Fighting to avoid surrendering the urn, he cracked 120 in just his second Test match, a terrific rearguard effort that saw England briefly threaten to evade defeat in Perth. Alas, it was not to be his moment, but to produce a performance of such defiance while his teammates vanished without trace was memorable, and suggestive of his burgeoning talent.

Sending Lord’s into a frenzy

If that was his southern hemisphere breakout, the first Test of England's 2015 summer was most certainly the occasion where he announced his arrival up north. With Alastair Cook heading the charge to claw his side back into the contest, Stokes joined the captain with the team four wickets down, and departed 26 overs. In that time the score had advanced by 132 – of which he made 101 – and England had moved firmly into the ascendancy.

Those couple of hours sent Lord's into the sort of frenzy few are capable of doing. Andrew Flintoff had it, so did Ian Botham – it's that gung-ho all-rounder trait. Such scenes were replicated with the ball as Stokes had Kane Williamson caught at gully before castling Brendon McCullum in consecutive deliveries. That and Mark Craig's wicket later allowed England to win a match they probably shouldn't have won.

Ben Stokes of England celebrates with his team mates after bowling Brendon McCullum of New Zealand during day five of the 1st Investec Test Match between England and New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground on May 25, 2015

In the post-match press conference Cook said he had “never heard Lord's sound like that”. A combination of exciting play and a lengthy drought in English success had combined to make a fairytale moment. In a decade or so, who knows? It may be seen as the dawn of a new era.

Problems of discipline and consistency

While Perth and Lord's have marked major highlights for Stokes, maturing through the growing pains has not been plain sailing. Last year's World Twenty20 was not only a disaster for England but for Stokes too – and he never even got on the pitch. Broken hands happen but punching a locker in order to get one looked somewhat farcical.

The incident occurred in the preceding T20 series with West Indies due to his disgruntlement at being dismissed. A year earlier he and England Lions teammate Matt Coles were sent home from their tour of Australia due to “persistent late night drinking”. Discipline has been a nagging issue for Stokes. It's hardly a rare problem for the mercurial however – Flintoff's infamous “Fredalo” jolly in the Caribbean springs to mind.

Form is another area which has stunted Stokes' progression. A trio of ducks in the Test matches against India in July 2014 saw him dropped for nine months, and his batting failures in ODI cricket led to him not being selected for this year's World Cup. A lack of wickets in both formats did him no favours either.

However, expecting him to be perfect in his early 20s (Stokes turns 24 this Wednesday) is asking a lot. The rigours of international cricket are unforgiving and considering England's torrid run, Stokes has not had the luxury of time to adjust and a settling in phase. The pressure has been on from ball one.

With incoming coach Trevor Bayliss promoting a more youthful approach in white-ball cricket, Stokes is likely to play a major part in both ODIs and T20s in the coming years and England would do well to play as he does, attackingly. Perhaps with time, he can be the talisman the side so desperately needs to drag themselves into the modern game.

“If you play good cricket, a lot of bad things get hidden,” Kapil Dev once chimed. Granted, he was discussing the dirty matter of spot-fixing, but it’s a quote that can be applied equally well to Stokes as well. The fiery kid will never be the quintessential English cricketer – not that they need another anyway – and he may well fit into the Freddie mould, but he didn’t do England any long-term harm. It’s still early days, but in Ben Stokes, a new hero could be born.