England all-rounder Ben Stokes went through a tumultuous phase since his last Test ton, which saw him lose his father Ged to cancer. Stokes struggled to recover from a broken finger and also took a break from the sport to preserve his mental health. He's had his fair share of struggles in the past couple of years but Stokes was elated to notch up a ton against West Indies in the ongoing Test at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown. (ALSO READ | Mark Wood ruled out of IPL 2022 in huge setback for Lucknow Super Giants: Reports)
Stokes put up 120 runs in a 129-run partnership with skipper Joe Root, helping England take a firm grip over the Test with a 500-plus total on the scoreboard. As he reached the three-figure mark, Stokes looked up to the sky and gave a crooked finger salute to his late father, who had the same finger amputated after incurring multiple dislocations during a career as a New Zealand rugby international.
Ged died of brain cancer in 2020 and Stokes subsequently took a mental health break from the game last year while recovering from a broken finger. "It’s a very special feeling. I don’t like to speak selfishly but it was nice out there to look up to the sky and say ‘cheers’.
"Of the hundreds, I’ve got that’s personally one of the more memorable ones because of everything that’s gone on over the last 18 months or two years. It was great. In India last year I got 99 and it was a bit of a dagger in the heart so it was nice to get there and remember him that way," said Stokes as quoted by BT Sport.
{{/usCountry}}"Of the hundreds, I’ve got that’s personally one of the more memorable ones because of everything that’s gone on over the last 18 months or two years. It was great. In India last year I got 99 and it was a bit of a dagger in the heart so it was nice to get there and remember him that way," said Stokes as quoted by BT Sport.
{{/usCountry}}Stokes also spoke about newcomer Matt Fisher, who lost his father at the age of 14. "Everyone has something which means something to them, and there’s a lot of great things that can happen and memories that you can create playing international cricket. Seeing the excitement on Fisher’s face even when he got his cap, his smile was ear to ear for 15 minutes.
"Then you could see how excited he was when he got his wicket today. It means a lot for him and a lot of other people – family and friends, everyone that has supported him," Stokes further said.
Stokes also became the fifth men's allrounder to at least 5,000 runs and 150 wickets, joining the panel comprising Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Jacques Kallis.
His belligerent 120 off just 128 balls helped England reach 507 for nine before declaring on the second day. In response, West Indies were 71 for one with John Campbell giving Fisher a wicket with the second ball of his Test career.