"Ben Stokes will relish the opportunity of bowling longer spells in Australia" - Alastair Cook
Former England captain Alastair Cook has underlined Ben Stokes' importance as an all-rounder in the upcoming Ashes series Down Under. Alastair Cook believes the seam-bowling all-rounder offers a variety of skills and can play different roles when required.
Ben Stokes was a late addition to England's Ashes squad but boosted the tourists' chances as they aim to regain the urn. The 30-year old took a mental health break in August and recovered from his finger injury to be fit and firing for the marquee series.
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Writing in his column for the Times, Alastair Cook claimed that Stokes likes bowling prolonged spells and predicts that England will require him to play a significant role with the ball.
"The thing about Ben as a bowler: he likes long spells; he gets better the more he bowls. He will almost certainly play as the fourth seamer in this series but there will come a point when England will need him to produce similar spells, either in defensive or offensive situations and you can bet your Aussie dollar that he will relish the opportunity," Cook said.
The 2013-14 leg remains Ben Stokes' only away Ashes series to date. The Kiwi-born England cricketer was the only silver lining for the visitors amid a 5-0 drubbing. He missed the 2017-18 series due to an off-field controversy.
"He is a much better batsman now than he was eight years ago" - Alastair Cook on Ben Stokes
Highlighting Stokes' usefulness with the bat, Cook recalled Stokes' maiden Test hundred in the 2013-14 series. While stating that the southpaw's aggressive approach remains the same, the 36-year old feels he has matured in the role.
"I said that he is a batsman first and therefore, I expect him to come in at No. 5. He is a much better batsman now than he was eight years ago, the previous time he played in Australia. That Ben Stokes was always looking for an opportunity to score , to assert himself over the bowler and to put pressure back on the oppostion."
Stokes shone in the warm-up match with the bat against the England Lions, scoring 42 off 56 deliveries, and took no time to get going. He also took two wickets, signaling his readiness to take on Australia and help England reclaim the urn.