What can we learn from Ben Stokes playfulness?

The Zen of Ben is a vivid portrait of England’s Test captain Ben Stokes and an exploration of Bazball and the fast-evolving world of modern Test cricket. It also places Stokes and Bazball within a wider conversation about ancient wisdom, modern sport and how we respond to challenge.

Stokes’s career has been intense, unpredictable and boundary‑breaking, mirroring the bold, attacking style that has redefined England’s red‑ball game. This period of transformation in English cricket, including the 2025 India Tests and the latest Ashes series, provides a backdrop for a deeper look at how Stokes and this new approach challenge old assumptions about the sport.

Exploring the emotional and psychological demands of elite sport, the book draws striking parallels between Ben Stokes’s leadership, the fluid, joyful intent of Bazball and the playful yet serious wisdom found in classic Zen stories. This is not the lifestyle ‘zen’ of calm interiors and scented candles, but a discipline grounded in action, presence and seeing clearly through illusion. Stokes’s readiness to play without fear, to embrace risk and expand what feels possible on the field offers a fresh lens on how freedom, intent and clarity shape performance on either side of the boundary..

Blending cricketing insight with accounts from recent series, The Zen of Ben explores what Zen and Ben reveal about each other — and what it might mean for all of us to let go of our seriousness, to move past the fear of failure and to approach life with a little more playfulness.

Jim will be talking about his amazing new book and then signing copies.

Description supplied by the event organiser.