Proud is an understatement for Debbie Stokes.
Her son has been named the new cricket captain of England, taking over from Joe Root and tasked with helping turn the side around from their recent slide in rankings and performances.
But she has every ounce of faith Ben can do it.
“His approach to professional sport and often, and I don't mean this meanly, but he basically only went to school to play sport but by gosh look what's happened,” Stokes told 1News.
“He's very much a people’s person, a loyal young man and I know he has the respect of his colleagues.”
In fact, she believes Root will support the promotion whole-heartedly after stepping down earlier this month.
“In some ways, I’d term it that they’re more friends than cricket colleagues and that friendship has lasted a long time and will never change, I know that,” she said.
“The two of them are very tight and they’ll support each other to the hilt.”
Her son’s rise to the leadership has been far from usual though.
After being cleared of affray in a trial in 2018, his father Ged died a year later which led to the Christchurch-born all-rounder taking indefinite leave last year to focus on his mental health.
“Sometimes I've noticed that perhaps people have not so much misinterpreted but have though not so well of his mental wellbeing and the reasons why he shouldn't be captain - I've seen some not nice commentary,” Stokes said.
“But at the end of the day, Ben would not have held his hand up if he wasn’t ready to do it.
“I can tell in his voice he's keen and he's excited.”
The managing director of men’s cricket for the English Cricket Board, Rob Key, said everyone backed the decision.
“Everything he's done has got him to this point, he's got a hell of a lot of empathy as he’s one of those great players who cares about the people around him,” Key said.
“His understanding for why people struggle, when they might not be feeling right and all those traits along with a very good cricket brain make him the stand out choice.”
His first Test in charge will coincidentally be against the Black Caps at Lord's in just over a month – with mum already planning to be there in person to see her son take charge.
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