Nasser Hussain looks at how Ben Stokes' authenticity, intelligence and attacking philosophy has transformed England's Test team as the hosts look to regain the Ashes from Australia...
It's rare for a captain to tick every box but Ben Stokes is on his way to doing that.
It was always going to be an attacking style of cricket under Ben, that is how he has played throughout his career, and we also knew he would be smart.
You only had to see his innings in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's - both World Cup finals now after last's year's T20 World Cup - and obviously the Ashes Test at Headingley in 2019 to know that here is a bloke that can sit in when the situation demands.
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What we didn't know was how he would react to the demands of captaincy or what he would be like tactically. Those questions have been emphatically answered.
I think he has been very astute tactically with the subtle things he has done with field settings, while I said at the time that the way he was able to produce a win in that Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan in December means it was the best Test captaincy I have seen.
I reckon that was the flattest pitch I have seen in Test cricket in my era. It was an absolute road. England had to get everything right to get a result.
Scoring 500 on day one was critical and bought them time but every decision Stokes made after that - the declaration, the bowling changes, when to bowl himself, when to take the new ball - was spot-on. It showed you how huge an impact a captain can have.
His emotional intelligence has also been notable, which is perhaps the most surprising aspect.
Sometimes great cricketers - which Stokes definitely is - don't always make great captains because they don't understand others that have a fear of failure, get nervous, aren't quite as good as them or can't always see the attacking option.
The way he has handled Jack Leach is an example of Stokes getting that right - putting his arm around his spinner and working on his fields with him, bringing men up when he needs to and putting them back out occasionally.
Ben has compared himself to Brad Pitt's character Don "Wardaddy" Collier in the war film Fury, saying he would never ask someone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself.
Mark Wood and Stuart Broad have spoken about the way Ben talks to people, about his authenticity. He doesn't say a lot but when he does people listen and his players would run through a brick wall for him. He is hugely admired in that dressing room.
He has been through the ups and downs of being an international cricketer more than anyone. He has had difficult times and obviously stepped away from the game for a while for his mental health, so he will understand and see when someone in his team might be struggling.
He has stayed true to his word as well.
When my colleague Ian Ward asked him last summer whether he would play like Nasser's side by digging in, hoping to nick wins at the end and play for the odd draw, he was unequivocal when he said no. Now 11 wins and two losses out of 13 have proved that.
There will be no change in The Ashes and I like that not-for-turning mentality. It is that crystal-clear messaging that Eoin Morgan had with England's white-ball team. Even when they lost by an innings to South Africa at Lord's last summer, this team carried on playing their way.
Sometimes - and I mean this in a nice way - you have to be stubborn as a leader. If you are reading what the press say and are constantly changing your mind, it can filter down to your players but you get none of that with Stokes. He has turned around a side that, except for a few new players, was the one underperforming before he was appointed.
However, the fact those new players England have incorporated - Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Harry Brook etc - have shone immediately shows you what a brilliant atmosphere has been created by Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
I was lucky enough to award Rehan his debut Test cap in Pakistan and I said he could not be coming into a better team or atmosphere than this one.
Stokes and McCullum have taken away that fear of failure, told players to go and enjoy their cricket and to remember what it was like playing as a kid.
I think it was a stroke of genius from Rob Key to pair Stokes and McCullum. They sing from the same hymn sheet and if anything, Stokes is even more attacking and risk-taking than Brendon!
As a bowler in this Ashes series, I think Stokes will only bowl when needed - when it starts reversing or it's swinging. With his knee I don't know if he can do 15 overs on the bounce like he did at Headingley in 2019 but I'm sure he will still have an impact.
Batting-wise, he has very much set the tone over the last year, charging down the pitch to show what the mindset of this team needs to be. Not a shot a ball, just being positive.
The interesting one would be if he was in a similar situation to Headingley four years ago: what would he do?
Back then he sat in - he was three off 73 balls at one point before going ballistic when he was batting with Leach later on - so would he do it again? I think he could as underneath everything he is a winner.
Former England skipper Mike Brearley said in his book that as a captain you always have to think you can have an impact on a game of cricket, whatever situation you are in.
Stokes always feels that and if you look at practically every game over the last year he has impacted it by his decision-making, man management and brand of cricket.
Now comes the biggest challenge.
Watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket from Friday. Coverage from Edgbaston begins at 9.30am ahead of the first ball at 11am. You can also follow in-play clips and text commentary across Sky Sports' digital platforms.