Why Stokes' bowling is already impressing - Finn column

Ben Stokes does not do things by halves.

When the England captain was 10 overs into a spell on the evening of day two of the first Test against West Indies, my left knee and I were wincing.

I had memories of me coming back from my first knee surgery, after returning home early from the Ashes series in 2017-18.

In all honesty, I was never the same bowler after it.

My inability to consistently brace my knee at the point my front foot hit the floor led to me being down on pace, down on consistency and down on confidence for the rest of my career.

After my third knee surgery at the close of the 2022 season and an unsuccessful reintroduction to bowling halfway through 2023, I gave up the ghost and retired from cricket, having chased my tail for the previous six seasons trying to rediscover the snap and bite I had prior to my first knee surgery.

This makes it even more impressive to see Stokes running in with such vigour and intent after his most recent knee surgery.

I watched closely when he brought himself on to bowl.

Usually you can't take your eyes off the game when Stokes is involved because of the propensity for things to happen.

But, as a former knee injury sufferer, I was particularly intrigued to see how he got on with the ball in hand.

The first thing you look for is whether there is anything within the technique that looks different.

I used to have a few videos of me at my best and would always compare and see if I could replicate those from before my first surgery. I never truly did.

I had one from behind so I could see the height of my arm and one from the side so that I could see if my leg was bracing and at what stage it was bracing.

At Lord's, when Stokes' left heel was striking the ground in his delivery stride, his left knee was bracing and locking out.

This braced leg then acted as a pivot for the rest of his body to contort over with his bowling arm up high in his unique 'beyond the perpendicular' style.

The right hip and right knee then drove hard towards the target of off stump and the ball was released from his hand with swing, zip and control.

I wasn't particularly looking at the speed gun when he was bowling, I was looking at how braced that front knee was and how much he was committing to each delivery at the crease.

I was very enthused by what I saw.

It was that confidence in my body that eluded me and was hard to rediscover. I saw a man bowling with no such worries.

Without a braced front knee the kinetic energy within that process is lost and the ball is released without the same zip and nip you hear bowlers talk about.

This is the key part to Stokes having the same impact with the ball that we have seen over the course of his career when he has been fully fit.

Stokes looked as fit and lean as I’ve ever seen him.

By all accounts, on his path back to bowling, he has been unbelievably dedicated to making sure he is in prime physical condition so as to fulfil his true all-rounder status within the team.

When you carry extra weight it means you are putting unnecessary kilograms though your joints and can cause no end of problems.

Stokes will not suffer as a result of this.

It is no secret that, even with the introduction of impressive bowlers such as Gus Atkinson who bowled beautifully and looked every inch a Test fast bowler at Lord’s for his 12 wickets, a fully fit Stokes holds the key to this England team fulfilling their potential and beating India in the summer of 2025 and Australia in the Ashes at the end of that year.

These series usually define a captain's tenure.

Stokes' dedication to making sure he is fully fit and bowling again is a nod towards knowing this.

The bowling part of his game is back and that is great news for England fans, team-mates and administrators alike.

He does not do things by halves.