"I was down at that time, but this tattoo was almost like saying 'you can get back up, it’s not the end'." - Ben Stokes
Every month on The Edge we're telling the stories behind Ben Stokes' tattoos.
The England captain's ink is an eye-catching and important part of his identity, and today we're focusing on the phoenix that adorns his right arm.
Ben has had so many highs in his career, but the background to this tattoo was one of his low points.
The design was inspired by England's narrow defeat in the T20 World Cup final in 2016, when the West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes off Ben in the final over to snatch victory.
"Yes, I actually got the phoenix tattoo after the 2016 World Cup in India, when I bowled the last over and lost us the game," said Ben. "Obviously that was a very hard thing to take at the time.
"The phoenix on my arm is like the phoenix rising from the ashes. I was down at that time, but this tattoo was almost like saying 'you can get back up, it’s not the end. It doesn’t symbolise you or your career or anything like that'.
"Once again, it is a very meaningful tattoo for me."
Ben was swamped with messages of support from the public after the 2016 final, and the then England captain Eoin Morgan also stood by him.
"It's not his fault," said Morgan. "Cricket can be a cruel game, but we share everything we do, we stick together as a side. We share pain, we share the success. I hope in the future we have a lot more success."
Morgan was right, of course. England won the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and then the T20 World Cup in 2022 - with Ben playing a decisive role in both triumphs.
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