"For England to win, Ben Stokes has to be fully fit" - Brad Hogg ahead of Ashes 2023
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg feels England captain Ben Stokes' ability to bowl could make a massive difference to their hopes of winning the Ashes 2023. The highly anticipated series begins on Friday, June 16, with the first Test in Edgbaston.
Stokes has been one of the main faces of England's red-ball revolution over the past 12 months but hasn't bowled much of late. He was with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) season, but had almost no role as a bowler due to a knee problem.
The all-rounder played just two games in IPL 2023 and bowled only one over, conceding 18 runs. He also scored a meagre 15 runs across two innings.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Brad Hogg explained the difference a fully fit Ben Stokes makes to England's bowling attack. Hogg believes the all-rounder can bowl some crucial overs and make things happen for his team.
He said:
"For England to win, Ben Stokes has to be fully fit to add to that bowling depth. He is aggressive, fast and bowls that short-pitched ball at the body that troubles most of the Australian batters. He will be crucial with his fitness."
Brad Hogg hails Brendon MCCullum for his work as head coach
Brad Hogg believes England have been the best Test team over the past year. He added that head coach and New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum deserves a lot of credit for the same.
McCullum has instilled the fearless brand of cricket within England's Test team. This has produced some incredible results so far, including a 3-0 drubbing of Pakistan away from home.
On this, Hogg stated:
"McCullum has got his team operating like a well-oiled machine. England have been the best Test team over the past 12 months and there’s no doubt about that. He has got the perfect lithium batteries to charge his troops."
England will face a difficult test from Australia's bowlers, who were in top form while handing India a 209-run defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. It will be interesting to see if the Aussies, led by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, find a way to stop the Bazball ideology from being successful in the Ashes.