The Auld Enemy was ever thus, but in the modern era rarely has anybody been as one sided—nor as mentally draining—as Ben Stokes versus Mitchell Starc here. What so incensed the England captain had not been his dismissal for 12 or Dominic Sibley’s in similar fashion only minutes earlier on day three of the third Test at Adelaide Oval.
Having batted grimly for 198 balls, making a defiant 83, Stokes was then trapped lbw by another trademark Starc “nip-backer.” When the ball crashed into the top of off-stump, Stokes didn’t just stroll; he detonated. Leaping in frustration and hurling his bat into the air, Stoinis was captured by stump microphones on the other side of frustration — a moment of raw, naked rage as he screamed at himself.
The “Dirty Dozen”: A History of the Hoopla
This wasn’t just any dismissal. It was the 12th time Mitchell Starc had removed Ben Stokes in Test cricket. In the lengthy annals of this game few such top-line batsmen can have been “bunny-ed” quite so regularly by a single pace bowler.
For Stokes, the anger wasn’t only from losing the wicket but also at how persistently he had failed. Between them, they seem to have a psychological grip on the England captain that goes beyond mere strategy. Whether it’s the searing yorker at Lord’s in 2019 or the wobble-seam laser at Perth this month, Starc has ”got through the gate” more than any other fast bowler in history.
The Starc vs. Stokes “Bunny” Ledger:
Total Dismissals: 12 (Behind- R. Ashwin, with 13)
Mode of Dismissal: 6 out of those 12, Stokes has returned back to the pavilion with his stumps rattled or otherwise, “castled.”
Middle: Stokes has scored a meagre 17.36 against the left-armer in Test cricket.
A Captain on the BrinkThe outburst in Adelaide also underscored that immense burden that Stokes is shouldering this series. With England 0 – 2 down, the urn slipping inexorably out of their grasp, Stokes had constructed a masterful un-Stokes-like “grind-it-out innings” to keep his team just about on its feet. While batting in partnership with Jofra Archer, he alone had propelled England recovery from the brink of an embarrassing collapse.
Stokes went on a self-directed rant as he beelined straight to the dressing room from the ground, decrying his angst and emotions on falling just 17 runs short of what would have been an epic fightback anchored by him. And to be counted out by the one man in the world who has his number — and just as the mission was about to reach its successful conclusion — was simply too much for this captain to take.
Tensions were already running high earlier in the innings after Stokes reportedly had a “heated exchange” with Archer (over field placements) during the match. This latest eruption implies a leader who, as commentators observed, is “right on the edge.”
Can England Withstand the Starc Cyclone?
As Australia takes guard for its second innings with a decent lead, the spectre of Mitchell Starc still looms. The experienced pacer is imploring his best run with 19 wickets already in the series. If England’s to have any hope of somehow coming back in this series, they don’t just need the bowlers to work out how to get on top of Australia’s batsmen, but for their skipper to shake this Scary Mitchell Starc off his back.
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