Ben Stokes can’t be England’s Ashes Superman despite epic Steve Smith wicket

There is one wicket that England crave more than any other in this series – that of Steve Smith. Four years ago Smith turned the Ashes into a personal highlights reel with his total of 774 runs, the most by an Australian in England since Don Bradman in 1930.

The onslaught began at Edgbaston with innings of 144 and 142 so it is a ground which holds warm memories for the twitchy run machine. But on Sunday the tables were turned on him by Ben Stokes. The England captain has an unerring habit of making things happen on a cricket field and in his brief cameo with the ball – on one and a half fully operational legs – he did it again.

In persuading Smith to play around a straight one and trapping him in front of his stumps, Stokes did more in one delivery for England’s cause in this Test match than if he had sellotaped Nathan Lyon’s spinning fingers together. Smith immediately reviewed the decision hoping the ball might have been going over the top but TV replays showed it would have clipped the bails.

He had been quietly putting down roots during his 69-minute stay, moving slowly to 16 in preparation for another Birmingham beano. But his Brumbleweed moment left him sloping off, shaking his head to chants of ‘Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio’ ringing in his ears from the Hollies Stand.

Edgbaston’s thirstiest enclosure had a more traditional day of Test cricket served up on Saturday after the thrill ride of Friday but they were happy to make their own entertainment during the flatter periods. A fancy-dress chase featuring a group of butchers in hot pursuit of a pig ended badly for the inflatable porker when he tripped and was feasted upon.

Prince, Elvis, a cluster of lifeguards and a group of King Charles looked on at the spectacle. A giant inflatable beach ball bounced about for a while before an inflatable doll took over. Intermittently a song would break out, increasingly slurringly, in homage to one England player or another or – in rather poor taste – pointing out Rolf Harris’ heritage.

Stokes’ theme tune is a version of the Spandau Ballet hit ‘Gold’ although he is more of a techno man himself. The fact that he was bowling at all was something of a minor miracle given his build-up. It was Stokes’ first bowl in a competitive match since April 3 when he bowled the only over of his IPL campaign having undergone a cortisone injection to his left knee ahead of the T20 tournament.

He did not send down a single delivery in the warm-up Test against Ireland and has bowled only sparingly in the nets in the days leading up to Edgbaston. The inactivity showed in a flurry of no balls but at least he was there fronting up at the coal face for England.

With the knee heavily strapped, he bowled in two spells of three and four overs respectively just before lunch and after tea.

In the afternoon session he turned to others including, revealingly Ollie Robinson, when England chose to pepper Travis Head with short balls.

That enforcer role would have been his had he been 100 per cent fit but he is having to resist the temptation to play Superman and manage his workload. Stokes’ limitations are an issue in terms of the balance of the England attack. Some of the slack had to be taken up by others including Harry Brook whose flat-footed medium pace looked more suited to the village green than the Test arena.

But if Stokes is to make it through the rest of an intense Ashes, crammed into 45 days, something has to give. Besides, even on reduced rations, England can still rely on their Captain Fantastic. It was a tough day for them but it would have been a whole lot tougher had Smith been allowed to drop anchor.