Ben Stokes, the god of thunder, is ready for the Ashes series that could change his Australian legacy

EEngland are hoping to strike a healthy balance between work and play and at the start of this Ashes week, while Australia trained on site to prepare for the first Test, the tourists were, well, tourists.

Besides the usual golfers, a handful of players took a boat trip to Rottnest Islandwith Brydon Carse later showing off an impressive fish he had caught. No doubt some of the grumpier players of the past would have been more likely to have their thoughts focused on a much bigger player: Steve Smith.

But on Tuesday morning they continued in earnest in nets where Joe Root spoke about their quality. There was certainly more pace and bounce than in the warm-up match at Lilac Hill last week. Root is convinced that three good sessions are enough for the big push on Friday.

The most positive news was Mark Wood’s 40-minute spell, with a recent scan for a stiff hamstring showing no injury. And contrary to wider perception, and the eclectic music blaring from the loudspeakers, England get serious when they train – just like their captain.

It remains a feast for the eyes to see Ben Stokes doing his job, with no stone left unturned and the bar set high for the team as a whole. He was the last to leave the court on Monday, his only real discomfort being a blinding blow to Josh Hull’s box (the left-arm part of the Lions tour, but strapped in to replicate Mitchell Starc’s angle).

A few weeks ago, David Warner was of course asked about the possibilities of sledding during this Ashes series and although he expected the odd flare-up, the former opener warned against directing jibes at Stokes. “If we can’t poke that bear and get him on his feet, I think that will help the Australians tremendously,” Warner said.

It was a nice line – the Western Australian newspaper’s editors clearly didn’t get the memo – but Stokes will continue to be “on the job” regardless. Besides being the culmination of a four-year project molded in his aggressive image, there is also a personal mission at play: unfinished business or a point that needs to be proven, taking a few out of the bucket of sporting clichés.

Whether Stokes actively views this tour as such is another matter. Like Ian Botham before him, he tends to look only forward. But Perth is an important place for him, the city where he announced himself in late 2013 with a maiden Test century – 120 from 195 balls aged just 22 – to complete the only positive of a 5-0 capitulation.

“The Australians did that [Stokes] no favors in their quest to secure the Ashes,” wrote Mike Selvey, who recognized the special talent that had thrived on a cracked Waca surface. ‘He was tormented and harassed, battered, bounced and rattled. It was all treated with indifference.”

The six-wicket haul that followed weeks later in Sydney ticked a second box; confirmation of a budding all-rounder with heart and skill. After that, and despite a career with some major highlights, the away Ashes games were not exactly his best friend.

First came the 2017-2018 Ashes. While England were being beaten 4-0, Stokes was across the Tasman Sea, playing domestic cricket for Canterbury in the vague hope that his ban from the infamous Bristol street fight that summer would be lifted.

“I lived every moment of the Ashes,” he told me the following year, before he was cleared of contention. “I’m sure it didn’t come close to the emotions of the boys out there, but I was just as gutted.”

Stokes certainly made the trip four years later – another 4-0 defeat – but was a shadow of his best self. A three-month break to recover from anxiety and depression during the English summer was followed by a few uneventful returns, with his body undercooked and his batting lacking.

“I look back on those Ashes and accept that it was too soon,” he later admitted, after trying (and failing) to help his good friend, Root, and then the captain. ‘I let the excitement and history of the Ashes take over my thinking.’

Now that these dark times are behind him, Stokes finds himself in a very different place, emboldened by a career-best summer with the ball – 20 wickets in 24 – and refreshed by a detour via New Zealand to see family. He looks serious too, just missing a hammer for the full thunder god look.

This has of course been said before, but only because an injury could occur – the inherent risk of his full-throttle approach. Players and coaches still talk about trying to rein in those marathon bowling spells, only for him to take the ball and bowl off countless consecutive overs.

But should Stokes stay fit over the next two months, locals could see the very best of a cricketer who emerged from the rubble here 12 years ago. Pinned or otherwise, the bear is the key to England’s chances.