Ben Stokes is coming off the biggest family gathering for Christmas he's had in decades. While his wife and kids were already here, the England captain was also joined by his mother, siblings and some cousins and nieces from New Zealand. A coming together of relatives from different corners of the world. And he's rather pleased about it.

It couldn't have come at a better time for Stokes. At a time, it's felt like his world was closing in on him. And at a time, where he's often felt like a lone man set up to face the rest of the world. Even as his team continues to stutter and stagger towards what looks like a very inevitable whitewash. On a tour where they were supposed to redefine their own legacies.

But Wednesday, two days out from the start of the Boxing Day Test, was perhaps the most challenging so far in Stokes' dramatic reign as captain. It was the "most difficult" moment as he'd say himself. If England weren't reeling already from the way the first three Tests have panned out, the leaked clips of some of their players not being in their best behaviour on the Noosa trip has soured their trip even further.

Though he was not involved in any of them, far from it, Stokes was always going to be the one facing the most heat once he got to Melbourne with the series already sealed in Australia's favour. To his credit, Stokes didn't just front up to talk about it in the all-in press conference, he also then set about doing a series of interviews with the broadcasters before finishing up with one with the traveling English media.

Through them all, he remained genuinely reflective, balanced, very protective of his players and quite emotional. After years of letting his body language do most of his talking for him, the 34-year-old was finally giving us a glimpse behind that tough exterior. Into the human side of Ben Stokes. He was letting his feelings be known. He was letting his emotions slide off his sleeve.

This was not performative. There was no posturing. This was just plain Stokes out in the open, facing the music and holding his own. Even if it made him look vulnerable and not quite like the impenetrable Superman, an avatar he's often embraced during his run at the helm in the last three-and-a-half years.

Stokes spoke about having a firsthand experience of dealing with the caustic nature of social media scrutiny and the impact it could have on the person behind the athlete. But he also didn't shy away from expressing exactly how deflating the results in this series has been. No more "yeah but if this had gone our way" or "we still got the better of them here". No more talking morality or focusing squarely on the silver linings.

Instead, Stokes was prepared to acknowledge the dark hole that his team, and more importantly he as captain, finds himself in now that all their best-laid plans have come a cropper when it mattered most.

He spoke repeatedly about how much it "sucks" to be in the position he's in, and the constant ebbs and flows of emotion as the reality sunk in that he's yet to win a single Test on Australian soil in what is his fourth trip here, the same as fellow veteran Joe Root. He revealed the mental turmoil of having to accept the fact that for all the talk leading into this tour, he had after all become the latest English captain to have his Ashes dreams crushed prematurely and be left in this situation of no return with little to salvage.

For all the times the rest of the world has felt a bit salty about just how in over their heads this English team have sounded like in this Bazball era, you couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Stokes.

For, like always, he's put his mind and body on the line for his team on the field.

He's faced more deliveries than any of the other English batters. And he's also got the best bowling average among his fast bowlers, even if it's mainly courtesy his five-wicket haul on the opening day of the series, which now feels like a long time ago.

He's also done the Stokes thing of roughing it out in the most difficult of climes, even bowling seven overs on the trot on the fourth morning in Adelaide after having battled exhaustion and fatigue from batting for most parts of the 41-degree day at the Adelaide Oval.

But for once, he's been unable to lift his team beyond their own collective mediocrity through the singular will-power he possesses and often displays in heroic fashion when the chips are down.

There has been no Stokes miracle. There has been no Stokes inspiration. There's only been a lot of Stokes' hard yakka. As impressive as it has been to see, he's been unable to lift his team up in that Herculean fashion we've seen him do in the past.

Failed Ashes campaigns often end up being death knells for captaincy reigns in English cricket. And there will be those demanding change right away, but it's unlikely that Stokes' future as a leader will hang in the balance in the same way his predecessors' have in the past.

The man himself is very excited still to continue in the role and be a part of the inevitable rebuild and reincarnation that this English Test team is set to undergo. It's difficult to see him not be around, especially with the next Ashes series only 18 months away in England.

Stokes always speaks about being able to compartmentalise his emotions and his presence when it comes to time spent away from the field. This might be his toughest challenge yet on that front as well. And you can only hope for his sake that he could make the most of the big Christmas reunion he'd have enjoyed this week. He needs it.

For, come Friday, he'll be in the glare of the scrutiny that besieges every losing Ashes captain, that too in front of 90,000 plus fans at the MCG - 20,000 of them from England. And he'll be by himself, facing the fire, both as Ben Stokes the cricketer and Ben Stokes the person.