Ben Stokes could become one of England's greats: Andrew Flintoff
England’s former all-rounder Andrew Flintoff said that Ben Stokes is a more talented cricketer than he was and that he can become an England legend. Flintoff was impressed with Stokes’ all-round performance against New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's in May.
"I survived a lot on bravado but I think Stokes has a lot more skill," Flintoff told BBC Sport. "I think he could be one of England's greats," the 2005 Ashes hero said.
Flintoff took 43 wickets and scored 856 runs in the 14 Ashes Tests. On Stokes’ impact in the upcoming Ashes series, he said, “Stokes is an impact player, a personality player. He will have quiet games, but when he does perform he will win matches.
"I wouldn't judge him on averages or how many runs he goes for with the ball. Look back at the end of the series and see how many games he influences, and I think in the Ashes he could influence two or three games.”
England very strong on paper: Flintoff
Talking about the strength of England’s team in the upcoming series, the 37-year-old Flintoff said, “You look at it on paper - the captain is scoring runs, you have Ian Bell with 20-odd hundreds, Joe Root's brilliant, Gary Ballance averages 50-odd, Adam Lyth has just scored a 100 and then you've got an all-rounder. Bowling wise, you've got Jimmy Anderson with 400 wickets, Stuart Broad with 280. Mark Wood is raw but I quite like that about him, just let him run in and bowl quick - and then you've got Stokes backing that up."
Stokes, who celebrated his 24th birthday on 4 June, has played 11 Tests, 29 ODIs and 7 Twenty20s for England so far.
The Ashes series will be played from July 8 to August 24.