Stokes' magic is spread thin by responsibility, and yet it endures

Nebulous sporting magic - or juju, if you will - is not unlike energy. Not created or destroyed, merely changed from one form to another.

The quantity of such magic remains constant in an athlete's lifetime. But the areas it influences shift, and given the nature of some pursuits - such as, say, being an allrounder who just so happens to also be Test captain - often irrevocably.

"Who else but Ben Stokes?" That clichéd sentiment passed through the minds and perhaps even the lips of the 26,569 spectators here at Lord's, to cheer or bemoan his last-over dismissal of nightwatcher Akash Deep. The manner of it added fuel to the notion that games of cricket bend to Stokes' whim. Even if this was merely a case of getting one to go down the slope to a bloke with a batting average of 8.09.

With that final ball of day four, Stokes has put England on a level footing going into Monday, in front of a sold-out Lord's. It was a statement clonk that took him to nine wickets in the series at 32.33.

It is the most he has taken in 11 previous series, the result of a new left knee and a more robust recovery after a second tear of his right hamstring. The last time he took more wickets was his 10 against South Africa in 2022, his second series as captain, in the early stages of his emergence as one of the most astute leaders England have ever had.

Beyond his ability to lift those around him as a talisman, however, is Stokes' acumen in the field that can, at times, feel like throwing leg slips at the wall and seeing what sticks. And yet, at moments such as the final throes of Sunday's play, his feel for the game deserves praise, eclipsing those of previous England captains of the modern era.

Granted, he might have been better served opening with Brydon Carse instead of Chris Woakes. But the decision, in the day's final half an hour, to bring Carse and himself on to replace Woakes and Jofra Archer came with an extra tick when Stokes chose to put Carse on from the Pavilion End.

It was from the Nursery End that Jasprit Bumrah had unearthed a patch of uneven bounce. Yet the three wickets that England claimed with this double-change - two to Carse in an stirring spell of 4-1-11-2 - highlighted Stokes' sharp reading of the contest. The slope - left to right from the Pavilion End - suited Carse's methods better, rather than the vague promise of some variations up-and-down. Let's not forget, Bumrah took more of Crawley's fingers than wickets (0).

With Stokes' bowling trending back towards his previous heights circa 2019, and his captaincy remaining steadily impressive, perhaps it is no surprise his batting seems to have lost that spark. There is only so much juju to go around.

What was confronting about Stokes' innings today was that that situation seemed primed for the latest volume in his "Who writes his scripts?" anthology. He was England's last hope - and their last recognised batter - in a quest for an iron-clad winning score, yet he was bowled by a broadly innocuous offspinning delivery from Washington Sundar. An attempt at a visceral slog-sweep ended in an apologetic whimper.

The slog-sweep is a familiar club in Stokes' bag. Not quite a calling card, more of an easter egg amid his epics. Here in 2019, for instance, batting at the same end from which he was dismissed on Sunday, he dumped Trent Boult over midwicket at the critical juncture - 15 needed off four balls - of the World Cup final. That same side was peppered four years later in a hellacious 155 against Australia.

Now, the shot is an appropriate sherpa down through Stokes' batting decline. He boasted a scoreline of 111 for 2 from 32 attempts at the shot in Test cricket between the start of the 2019 up to the 2022 summer. Ever since the start of Bazball, however, he has tried it 26 further times, scoring just 59 for the loss of six.

The nature of this most recent dismissal also gave a new twist on the Stokes meme machine. His knack for making good balls look great - wide-eyed and open mouthed, stunned at a delivery that probably just seamed a bit - is rich online fodder. Now, however, the decent balls are being played badly.

As it was in 2022, when he charged out of the blocks in his first series to show his teammates that flying close to the sun was cool, Stokes' third second-innings 33 of the series - this one the slowest, from 96 balls - felt like an extension of England's second-innings approach. Stunted, a lot of huff and a little confused.

Their run-rate across the whole match - 3.31 - is now England's slowest in a home Test in the Bazball era, knocking the very first match of the McCullum-Stokes axis - also at Lord's, against New Zealand - off top spot. Being an inspiring figure works both ways.

It is important, however, not to simply attribute Stokes' average of 24.57 from four Tests this summer - including one against Zimbabwe - as a loss of magic. To do so simplifies the issue, which is that he has just not batted enough.

Sunday's knock was his seventh of the year. He could have had more, either for Durham in the County Championship, or for England Lions in the lead-up to the series, when he had fully recovered from the hamstring tear sustained at the end of the New Zealand tour in December.

Of course, there are only so many hours in the day, and so much a body can take, even after such tailored reinforcement. Stokes maintains, at the age of the 34, that recovery is his biggest focus around Test matches.

Thus, it seems batting is now third on his list of priorities. Even though Stokes has vociferously hit back at the suggestion, his numbers against spin bowling - which requires the most work behind the scenes to improve - paint a clear picture. Since the start of 2024, his average of 19.11 is the second lowest, after Ravichandran Ashwin's 16.50, for batters who have faced more than 300 deliveries of spin.

Whether that eventually means a slide down the order remains to be seen. It likely won't, given the England management are impressed with how comfortable Jamie Smith has been at No.7.

Even though Stokes' lack of runs might have cost England a shot at resting easier overnight, they will arrive on day five with a 2-1 lead in their grasp, thanks in no small part to his bowling and captaincy. And that is how it is likely to be for what remains of his career.