At the G7, the British press corps was told to keep it down – thanks to Ben Stokes

The cricketer’s ascent to national hero had the unlikely effect of rendering his nation even more of an international pariah

Ben Stokes of England celebrates hitting the winning runs (Getty)

The United Kingdom stands alone when it comes to the international export of competitive sport. The world’s games were, for the most part, our games first.

But, for whatever reason, and even though the first international cricket match was contested between the USA and Canada, the most noble game of all has struggled to penetrate beyond what was once the empire.

Never before, surely, can the world’s loss have been more keenly felt than in the media centre of the G7 summit in Biarritz on Sunday afternoon, where Ben Stokes’s unstoppable ascent to national hero had the unlikely effect of rendering his nation even more of an international pariah.