Ben Stokes flashes hot and cold as England triumph in opening warm-up match against WICB President's XI

The Durham all-rounder, who is still coming to terms with the life-changing sum the Pune franchise paid for him, saw his opening over go for 23 runs

Stokes plays a shot during England's victory (Getty)

Ben Stokes’ numbers during his first over of this opening warm-up match against a Vice-Chancellor’s XI were rather less impressive than the £1.7m figure offered for his services in Monday’s Indian Premier League auction.

The Durham all-rounder, who is still coming to terms with the life-changing sum the Pune franchise paid for him, saw his opening over go for 23 runs against outclassed opposition who still made a game attempt at chasing down 380 to win. In the end a team containing seven students were dismissed for 262 and defeated by 117 runs despite Chadwick Walton’s fine 121.

Yet among the litany of wayward deliveries from Stokes early in the innings were a no-ball, two wides, a six and two fours. In all nine balls were bowled in the over, with 20-year-old Guyanan Shimron Hetmyer seizing on Stokes’ inaccuracy.

Given the four sixes dispatched by Carlos Brathwaite at the end of last April’s World T20 final in Kolkata, it meant Stokes had shipped 47 runs in two overs for his country against West Indian opposition.

Stokes in training ahead of Saturday's match (Getty)

It would be churlish to hover on this point for too long, after all Stokes came back on for his second over right at the end of this match and sealed victory with the wicket of Jermaine Levy, caught behind by Jos Buttler.

That’s the reason why Pune broke the bank for Stokes – he’s not only a hard man to keep down but also a box-office cricketer who will be central to England’s fortunes across all formats during the next 12 months.

That period will not only see England attempt to win their first major global 50-over tournament in this summer’s Champions Trophy but also the Ashes in Australia next winter.

It was amid the wreckage of England’s 5-0 whitewash Down Under in 2013-14 that Stokes first served notice of his special talent. Some fine bowling and a superlative maiden Test hundred at Perth were strong indications of his potential.

England in action at Warner Park (Getty)

The fact he was then left out of the next trip to Australia for the 2015 World Cup, even if his form had been poor, illustrated just how far off England’s thinking in limited-overs cricket was.

Things have changed for the better over the past 18 months or so and this group of players led by Eoin Morgan will enter the Champions Trophy with realistic expectations of winning it.

Stokes is one of the reasons why they will be regarded among the leading favourites and it said much that even though he looked out of nick with the bat during this match he still managed to score 61 from 53 balls to help England post 379 for eight.

The 25-year-old was dropped on 18, 26 and 58 but he took advantage of his three lives to make a valuable contribution to his team’s total that at one point seemed certain to exceed 400.

A deteriorating pitch and some poor shot selection put paid to those hopes. Nevertheless, the half-century from Stokes and scores of 79 from Jason Roy, 71 from new Test captain Joe Root and 95 from Morgan meant there were enough runs on the board to keep the game out of reach for a team containing just one player who has experienced international cricket.

Liam Plunkett celebrates dismissing Shimron Hetmyer of WICB President's XI (Getty)

It also meant Stokes’ blow-out with the ball was inconsequential in the end.

However, it may well be instructive – as was his scratchy innings – in telling us that Stokes might be finding that IPL price tag weighing heavily on his shoulders.

That’s something he will have to get used to – the attention and scrutiny during the initial days and weeks in the IPL will be intense.

If anybody can deal with it, though, then it is Stokes.

Pressure has never really affected him for prolonged periods before. There have been moments – such as that final over of the World T20 – when he has buckled. Yet he has come back strongly and it would be no surprise if he produced a series of stellar all-round performances during the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies that starts in Antigua on Friday.

Jason Roy plays a shot for England (Getty)

That series will kick off a run of eight games before England start their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh at The Oval on June 1.

Three wins will be the expected results in the Caribbean given the West Indies squad are shorn of most of their first-choice team through political wrangling. Yet as in the recent 2-1 ODI defeat in India, England’s bowlers will need to sharpen up if they are to achieve the whitewash.

Stokes’ first over can be seen as an outlier. Yet nobody in this attack went at less than five runs an over.

There was some early cheer for Steven Finn, whose two wickets from the first three balls he bowled in this match represented his first of the winter after he drew a blank in two tour matches and a Test in Bangladesh and then sat on the sidelines for the entirety of the India tour.

Still, that proved as good as it got for the Middlesex fast bowler, whose total of four overs went for 22 runs. This tour – and remember he’s only here as an injury replacement for David Willey – may prove pivotal for Finn. If he plays and bowls well he could force his way into the reckoning for the Champions Trophy.

Yet regardless of Finn’s short-term international fortunes, England know if they get Stokes playing to his potential with both bat and ball then they will have a very good chance of winning not only that tournament but the Ashes too.