Out-of-sorts on the field, Stokes was dealing with worse off it. During the second Test he was told his house had been burgled with his wife Clare and two children at home. It was Clare who persuaded Stokes not to leave the tour.
Stokes being Stokes, he was hard on himself when he reflected on the Pakistan trip.
“It’s amazing what you can think about when you’re just sitting there watching TV,” he said before the Christchurch Test. “You start realising stuff, then pick up the phone, speak to a few people and talk it out.
“I did physically drain and ruin myself, which definitely had a mental impact. Being the leader of this team, I can’t take myself into that sort of area ever again, focusing on myself so much. Not only does it have an impact on myself, but also has a massive impact on the team.”
When England reassembled in Queenstown, Stokes cleared the air with his troops, by which time he had already travelled to Christchurch to surprise his family.
In this part of the world, Stokes is used to fending off questions about his Kiwi links, 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 tossed around a rugby ball and dummied past England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. Stokes was a handy player as a youngster.
