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Explained: Significance Of Ben Stokes' Folded Finger Celebration After Century Vs India

Anurag Dasgupta

Stokes celebration meaning [Source: @Sheikhhumza49/x.com] Stokes celebration meaning [Source: @Sheikhhumza49/x.com]

England captain Ben Stokes smashed a Test century after two years, as he tore apart the Indian bowlers and smacked his 14th hundred in red-ball cricket. Throughout the ongoing tour, Stokes had plenty of starts, but he failed to convert them into big scores. However, that was not the case on Saturday.

The captain of the team played a brave knock, despite suffering from cramps on Day 3 of the Manchester Test match. He even left the field for a while, but came back on the field to steady the England batting. He became just the fifth Test captain to score a century, and a grab a fifer in the same match.

Stokes' celebration - a tribute to his father

Just after breaching the century mark, Stokes looked quite emotional, as for a large part of the last two years, he failed to deliver as a batter. However, when he reached the landmark, Ben Stokes was captured making a unique hand gesture towards the sky. 

He bent his middle finger and gestured it towards the sky, showcasing his love for his late father. The celebration was a reference to his father, Ged, who had to amputate part of his finger after continuing to play, despite suffering an injury during a Rugby League match.

Ged Stokes had a huge impact on Stokes' career, and whenever the England captain does well, he makes sure to give his father a fitting tribute.

When was the first time Stokes did the finger celebration?

Ged Stokes was a professional Rugby player in the 1980s, and he represented New Zealand at the highest level. He died in December 2020 after a year-long battle with Brain Cancer.

Months before his death, Stokes did the finger celebration in a Test match against South Africa at Cape Town. Stokes scored 47 and 72 with the bat and then scalped three crucial wickets in the final innings to bundle Proteas out for 248. After the game, the all-rounder did the celebration in front of the camera, as a tribute to his father, who was fighting hard against Cancer.