It was a poignant moment. Off came the helmet, then with a look heavenwards he bent the middle finger of his left hand in tribute to his late father Ged.
It was a significant one too in the distinguished career of Ben Stokes: the ending of a two-year wait for his 14th Test hundred making good his proclamation at the beginning of this summer that not only was he now fitter than ever but ready to resume his mantle as one of the best all-rounders the world has witnessed.
One who would be ‘trying to dominate every situation I find myself in, whether I’ve got a bat or ball in my hand. I know I’ve done it before, it’s something I’ve very confident in myself I can do.’
Until his 141 here, in England’s fifth-biggest Test total of 669, he had lacked fluency with the bat, falling five times between 20 and 44, and it would have been all the more sweet for coming on the ground where the first of two hamstring tears – sidelining him for a combined six months – occurred last August. Not for the first time, Stokes is now flexing his muscles confidently on the eve of an Ashes series.
Only three times in his first 113 Test matches did the 34-year-old achieve the match double of five or more wickets and at least 75 runs, but he has now done it twice more in consecutive appearances of this series. The one surprise was that, as its leading wicket-taker, he did not bowl at all on Saturday – presumably concerned about over-exerting himself when fatigued – as India eased to 174 for two in response.
His previous hundred in the acrimonious meeting with Australia at Lord’s two years ago was laden with aerial blows but in contrast this innings, punctuated by a cramp break on the third evening, was a painstaking affair. At least until he reached three figures.
There was a nervy prelude on 99 as he poked around for half a dozen deliveries, to a symphony of Mancunian oohs and aahs, before tucking Mohammed Siraj off his hip to the fine leg fence. If the third day of this contest was all about Joe Root, there was no doubting who the fourth belonged to.
Then came the pyrotechnics, as England built a 311-run advantage on first innings. Stokes had been forced to get his skates on with his first run of the day, nudging to mid-on and beating debutant Anshul Kamboj’s under-arm throw by millimetres as ball broke bails, but by the midpoint of the morning session, it was he who was dictating the pace.
With Brydon Carse in support, after Jasprit Bumrah castled Liam Dawson early on, Stokes launched his 174th ball over long-off from the bowling of off-spinner Washington Sundar, moving into a unique club alongside Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis – players who have scored 7000 runs and taken 200 wickets in Tests – in the process.
By the time he stuck his second six, a head height arrow off his slow left-arm nemesis Ravindra Jadeja, England’s innings was the longest in the Bazball era, and Carse was providing some heft at the other end in a pleasing sign ahead of this November’s Ashes. It is hard to recall a deeper England batting order than one featuring Carse at No 10.
Even after Stokes departed shortly before 12.30pm, getting under one from Jadeja, England ploughed on, lengthening the time England’s bowlers spent off their feet and creating a tricky 10-minute period before lunch for India to negotiate.
That they failed to do so came down to a brilliant opening over from Chris Woakes, who squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal with the fourth ball and reacted gleefully as Root scooped up a rebound chance at first slip.
When that one-handed grab above the grass was followed next ball by a straightforward chance to Harry Brook at second directed there by Sai Sudharsan’s attempted leave, England were dreaming of a four-day finish.
The hat-trick ball coincided with the final whistle confirming British Lions success in Melbourne, but there was no further late drama before lunch, and although there was plenty of seam and swing on offer when play resumed, England created a solitary opportunity in a wicketless middle session – Liam Dawson parrying a cut thrashed high to point by India captain Shubman Gill off Carse.
England had also burnt two reviews by that stage: Gill first surviving when Kumar Dharmasena ruled replay evidence on whether he had been struck on the pad by Jofra Archer before the ball connected with bat was inconclusive and then surviving when a hopeful challenge from Carse revealed the ball sailing over the top of leg stump.
In glorious sunshine, Gill and KL Rahul put into context a pitch upon which Bumrah conceded a century of runs for the first time in his 48-Test career, by continuing unscathed throughout an evening session of Dawson wheeling away economically from one end while Archer and Carse bombed them to a spread field devoid of close catchers at the other.
England’s one hope of sealing an unassailable 3-1 lead is for bowlers freshened by rest dislodging one of the third-wicket pair early. The second new ball is just 17 overs away, but Lancashire’s struggles here this season put their task into context: four matches, four draws.
It is all set up, as it so often is, for Stokes to have the final word.
