Ben Stokes has shown a lot of promise in his brief career so far. The demolishing double hundred at Cape Town was just an example of his abilities with the bat. With the ball, Stokes has been more than just a medium pacer. Stokes has often been among the wickets and is currently the ideal all-rounder England needs.
Former English legend Sir Ian Botham recently said that Stokes is much better than what he was at 24 as a cricketer. “As a player, he’s probably better than I was at 24,” Botham said. “What I did was yesterday’s news, what he did is today’s news.”He is not a jack of all trades and master of none. He is actually probably master of the three most important assets you need: batting, bowling and fielding.”
“His bowling can only get better. He has all the attributes: he has pace; he can swing the ball; he can reverse it; he can bowl orthodox. And he is terrific fielder close to the bat, in the covers or midwicket, backward point, on the boundary,” Botham added about Stokes.
Botham also pointed out that Stokes should be left free and not under the constant command of the skipper. “Just let him go. Mike Brearley did absolutely the same with me. There was no leash in any way.”I didn’t think too much. There is too much thinking about the game, too much analysis, looking at computers. I don’t need to look at a computer to know I’ve played a **** shot. It’s not that hard. “But he is crucial to Alastair Cook’s selection policy. If he’s playing, then Cook actually has an option of two other players in his mind. He is the genuine article.”