Mikaela Mulveney reveals what it was like going up against Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes might be one of the greatest cricketers of his generation, but I sent down some bouncers he couldn’t handle, writes Mikaela Mulveney.

The press conference with English cricket captain Ben Stokes had to be one of the weirdest experiences of my life.

I’m not a sports reporter – my day-to-day is actually filled with Queensland politics and holding Ministers to account, not usually sports stars.

I was sent very last minute to this press conference to ask a bit more about The Courier-Mail’s front page on Wednesday.

But it was not easy to get in to The Gabba that afternoon and I had to run in circles to find someone from Cricket Australia to get me last minute accreditation.

I’ll be completely honest, I’m not a big follower of the cricket, but I knew Stokes – as captain – should be questioned over his decision to, quite frankly, break the law alongside his teammates.

England's captain Ben Stokes during the press conference. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

The Courier-Mail's front page.

That is because he had yet to apologise for his actions despite 12 people dying in crashes involving e-bikes and e-scooters across the state this year alone.

When I arrived at The Gabba for the press conference I was shocked to find at least 50 journalists, cameramen and media advisors surrounding the microphones.

And most of them were tall men – compared to me, a barely 5’1 woman.

I thought, how on earth am I meant to fight off dozens of them to get in a question that’s completely unrelated to the strategies of the upcoming test match.

But what shocked me most of all was how controlled the press conference was, with Stokes’ media advisor pointing to journalists to ask their questions.

Reporter Mikaela Mulveney had Stokes rattled. Picture: Liam Kidston

I stood there desperately vying for media advisor’s attention, as I am used to fighting for questions and talking over every other journalist there.

I finally managed to get a chance to grill Stokes on whether he would apologise for breaking Queensland law.

Well, I am sure like a lot of the internet, you may have seen what ensued.

Stokes gave me a script answer to my first two questions, refusing to apologise: “Next time we’re on scooters, we’ll wear helmets”.

When I asked if that was all he was going to say on the matter, his media advisor saved him and blocked me from asking further questions.

Sports press conferences must be unique.