"The Ashes are well and truly alive because of one cricketer and that cricketer is Benjamin Stokes," England's perennial Ashes loser said on the television commentary from Headingley.

To call England's player of the match by his more familiar Ben simply would not have cut the mustard.

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It was a moment that even had Brooks High School's most famous alumnus recalling distant memories of English lessons in Rocherlea.

"There are not enough superlatives," Ricky Ponting added. "I'm lost for words."

Hussain hit back with: "He just does not know when to give up that lad", referring to the batting of Stokes rather than vocabulary of Ponting.

"It takes a lot to beat Botham on this ground but I think Ben Stokes has just done it," he added, opting to drop the "jamin" this time.

Thirty-eight years, one month and four days after Ian Botham and Bob Willis had produced arguably the greatest Ashes victory on the same ground, Stokes stoked the arguable argument.

It was enough to have the normally refined bloggers at the respected cricinfo website delving into Ponting's stash of superlatives.

Here's what they said about the final ball: "125.4 Cummins to Stokes, FOUR runs, there it is! Flayed through the covers, Stokes has completed the Miracle of Headingley Part II! Holy hand grenades, Stokes is a monster! He throws his arms wide and roars! England win by one wicket and the series is level in the most heart-stopping fashion imaginable!"

As England's number of runs required and wickets remaining were both steadily eroded, Ponting even released his inner-BT.

"Wow-wee what are we witnessing here?" he asked as the hosts amassed the second-highest 10th-wicket stand to win a Test having earlier recorded the fourth-lowest total from which a team has gone on to win.

That partnership of 76 included 74 from Stokes, a solitary extra and perhaps the most wildly-celebrated single in English cricket history courtesy of a number 11 few Aussie fans had previously heard of but will probably now never forget.

Cementing himself into Ashes folklore alongside the likes of Eric Hollies and Ponting's mate Gary Pratt was a bald, bespectacled left-arm spinner in his seventh Test getting by rather anonymously under the name Matthew Jack Leach.

After 16 dot balls - many delayed by some meticulously glasses cleaning - had allowed Stokes to do his thing, Leach's jab past short-leg represented the sum total of his cameo role but tied the scores and prevented an Aussie win.

Surely if there's a nation that knows how irritating one blood-sucking Leach can be it would be Australia.

Whatever side of the Ashes fence one sits, day four of the Third Test in Leeds provided the sort of sporting drama not seen since, well, the World Cup final last month.

In the commentary, Botham called the atmosphere "gladiatorial", Shane Warne was so excited by four consecutive maidens that he began making up words like "interpretated" and David Gower was referencing games from 1888, when he was but a nipper.

With the game being played in Yorkshire, it seemed the script was pre-destined to make either Sheffield-born Joe Root or Bradford-born Jonny Bairstow the hero.

But when their patient stints ended, it became obvious that England's only remaining potential match-winner was the one born in Christchurch, which is just outside Yorkshire.

The victory target read five wickets or 114 runs. Then four wickets or 106 runs. Three wickets or 98 runs. Two wickets or 73 runs.

Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad combined for a grand total of two runs.

When they departed it was one wicket or 73 runs to win.

Having taken 76 deliveries to score his first two runs, Stokes had made his way to 96 with the victory target 37 runs away.

"Ben Stokes is not interested in the four, he's interested in the 37," said Hussain, just as Stokes hit a four to bring up his century.

He finished that Josh Hazlewood over with 6, 6, 2 and then a single to give Leach another opportunity to clean his glasses.

"That's the 50 partnership," Hussain said. "Stokes has most of them, Leach has none."

Whoever was writing the script it, Nasser was sure who wasn't following it, adding: "Australia have just lost the plot here slightly."

There was still time for Marcus Harris to drop a catch, Nathan Lyon to fumble a stumping and umpire Joel Wilson to miss a plum lbw after Australia had run out of reviews before Leach claimed his first run and Stokes his 135th.

At different times in his eventful career, the all-rounder has been required to deliver for England on the ultimate stage in all three formats.

Bowling the final over of the 2016 world Twenty20 final with the West Indies needing 19 to win, he saw Carlos Brathwaite complete the job with two balls to spare by smashing four sixes.

But this year Stokes delivered in both the 50-over World Cup final and a pivotal Ashes Test match, securing victories by the narrowest of margins - one wicket in the latter and effectively no runs in the former.

The climax brought inevitable comparisons to England's two-run win at Edgbaston in 2005 with Hussain pitching up the tempter: "Kasprowicz down the leg side?" and Ponting smashing it out of the ground with the response: "But his glove was not on the handle, remember?"

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