England’s highest partnership, that of 411 between Peter May and Colin Cowdrey in 1957, permanently shifted the balance between pace and spin. They had been equally effective forms of bowling until England’s pair introduced pad-play to such effect against the West Indian mystery-spinner Sonny Ramadhin that pace bowlers have been more influential ever since.
Stokes was the more brilliant of this pair, and understandably so, given it was Bairstow’s first century for England and all the emotions that came with it. Together they constructed not only a world record stand for the sixth wicket but demolished the house which Jacques had built – and not only Kallis but Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn and some illustrious team-mates.
As Stokes pounded six after six into the stands like a mortar, South Africa’s position at the head of the Test rankings was exposed as ridiculous, the relic of a bygone era. They went to the top in 2012 – and on the back of a very similar performance to England’s here, when they scored 637 for two at the Oval. Within a month Andrew Strauss’s captaincy was over and South Africa had deposed England as number one.
Like Ian Botham in his pomp, or a souped-up Sobers, Stokes had announced himself on the first evening when powering to 74 off 93 balls. A few minutes later – or so it seemed, such was the speed of the merry-go-round – he had scored 184 more runs off 105 more balls, and achieved the world Test record of the highest innings by a number six.
Stokes turned the tide in England's favour on the first day of the second Test
Ever since his century in the Perth Test of two winters ago, Stokes has always appeared - except to England’s World Cup selectors, and Peter Moores who had him down at number eight – uniquely talented as a batsman. He can make batting look even simpler than Joe Root does. But this tour de force surpassed anything Stokes had achieved, especially in the morning when he hit 130 runs – the most by any Test batsman in a first session - and was, quite simply, inspired.
Basically Stokes bats, and plays orthodox shots all round the wicket, but when he fancies he can also hit. One of those eleven sixes came against Dane Piedt when he went down the pitch to an offbreak but found it was turning away from him. Stokes checked, braced himself, and muscled it far over long-off.
Many another vivid moment captivated the sun-soaked and sell-out crowd, whatever the allegiance. Whereas an overnight batsman of mortal skill would have played himself in again, Stokes lashed four cover-drives – worth four apiece - in the first two overs of day two. But then you can take almost any liberty with the bat if you can bowl as quickly as Stokes later did when blasting out the obstinate Dean Elgar.
Stokes celebrates scoring a double century with Jonny Bairstow Photo: REUTERS
As another purple passage, Stokes on 97 cover-drove again, and he and Bairstow set off like hares. So did Temba Bavuma on the square boundary, but the batsmen just beat the diving pick-up and throw, and Stokes’s leap to celebrate his third Test century was a virtual vertical take-off.
Stokes sped past records - like the highest score by a number six for England, then the fastest double-hundred for England - at an ever dizzier rate. False strokes were too few too mention; and there was always a keen cricket brain behind the shot-selection. He hit his sixes down wind, which made just enough difference when Stiaan van Zyl – who has had a nightmare of a game with his misfields then being run out himself – could not back-pedal quickly enough at long-off.
It summarised the havoc which Stokes had wrought on South Africa when AB de Villiers, their world-class athlete, dropped him at mid-off. The ball did swirl down wind, but the drop would have prompted sarcasm at club level. Unlike a clubbie, de Villiers picked the ball and shied down the stumps.
England batsman Ben Stokes celebrates a double century during day two of the second Test match between South Africa and England in Cape Town Photo: MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
A couple of reservations have to be made however. One is the quality of the South African attack, with only one bowler of proven Test class in Morne Morkel. In line with much else of South Africa’s cricket, their bowling now has never been so weak since their readmission to Test cricket in 1992.
Chris Morris was making his Test debut, after posting the figures of nought for 93 for South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg. Kagiso Rabada was making his home Test debut, and Dane Piedt is playing his fourth Test – and he bowled his offbreaks well, at first, conceding only 34 runs from his first 16 overs, before Stokes dismantled him
And South Africa’s resources, such as they were, were marshalled somewhat artlessly by Hashim Amla. Most people recognise that Stokes is quite good at hitting the ball straight. But as Morris ran in gamely with Stokes in the 190s, Amla had his mid-off and mid-on up, and Stokes duly pumped him into the wind and over their heads.
This is a Test match, although Stokes batted in ODI mode, without semi-circles and a mandatory minimum of fielders inside them. So for the first four balls of an over Amla could have – should have – spread almost his entire field around the boundary, save for one slip, and given Stokes a single to get him off strike, then brought his fielders in when Bairstow was batting rather scratchily.
The second reservation concerns the context. It was a highly significant innings in that England, after their Durban victory, had to rid themselves of their label of inconsistency. But South Africa were already down after Durban – not just vulnerable but seriously wounded when Stokes went in. They were on the edge of disintegration, and he hurled them into the chasm.
Stokes’s innings therefore, for all its superlative qualities, cannot be rated more highly than those that have swung a major series in England’s favour, like Kevin Pietersen’s most dazzling innings in Mumbai in 2012; or Andrew Flintoff’s hitting at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge in 2005, or two of Ian Botham’s centuries in 1981.
Seldom has any maiden Test century meant so much to the maker as Bairstow’s did, because seldom have so many emotions been involved. His father’s highest Test score had been 59, before his tragic end. So no wonder the son looked thrice to the heavens and raised his bat.
Once over the threshold, relieved and fulfilled, Bairstow found his timing flooding back and added his third 50 off only 30 balls. Number seven exactly suits his cudgelling style, bottom-handed and brutal at its best. Bairstow had contributed only 95 to the partnership when it reached 300, but he was middling it and motoring as fast as Stokes by the declaration – which was perfectly timed.
Excellent as the pitch still is for batting, South Africa would have been three down for 96 if Joe Root at second slip had caught de Villiers off James Anderson. He and Amla began to bat as they know how, but they are still labouring in the shadow of Table Mountain.
Ben Stokes' 258
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