Ben Stokes Set To Cash In On Innings Of A Lifetime With New Bat-And-Kit Deal

English cricketer Ben Stokes "is well positioned to cash in on his innings of a lifetime," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Stokes, whose bat-and-kit deal with American sports-merchandising company New Balance expires soon, "will be able to command a significant increase from a renewal or a rival offer after scoring 258 in England's second test against South Africa." The 24-year-old's England teammate Joe Root, the "other poster boy of English cricket," signed a £200,000 ($293,340)-a-year head-to-toe deal with New Balance last October. Stokes' advisers ISM -- which also manages Root -- "will be looking for at least parity from New Balance in the two deals for their star cricketers." ISM Managing Dir Andrew Chandler was in Cape Town on holiday "but only got a bird's-eye view of Stokes' heroics." He "was on a helicopter tour around the Cape that passed over Newlands" (DAILY MAIL, 1/4).