Stokes was not in the right condition on the pitch and had things even worse. During the second test he was told his home had been broken into while his wife Clare and two children were at home. It was Clare who convinced Stokes not to leave the tour.
Stokes being Stokes, he was hard on himself when reflecting on the Pakistan trip.
“It's amazing what you can think about when you just sit there and watch TV,” he said before the Christchurch Test. “You start to realize things, then you pick up the phone, talk to a few people and talk it out.”
“I physically drained and ruined myself, which definitely had a mental impact. As the leader of this team, I can never put myself in a situation like this again and focus so much on myself. It not only has an impact not only on myself, but also has a big impact on the team.”
When England reassembled in Queenstown, Stokes cleared the air with his troops. By this time he had already traveled to Christchurch to surprise his family.
In this part of the world, Stokes is used to deflecting questions about his Kiwi connections but is happy to admit this city is special. His mother Deb and brother James still live here. His cricketing life began at Merivale Papanui, a 15-minute drive from Hagley Oval.
In training he threw a rugby ball around and passed England assistant coach Marcus Trescodick. Stokes was a skilled player as a youth.
