"He is not Botham or Flintoff, he is Ben Stokes" - Nasser Hussain in awe of all-rounder's captaincy following his immediate impact
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has lavished praise on Ben Stokes following his immediate success as Test captain. Hussain feels the all-rounder's impact is proof not to judge England's present-day leaders with their past captains.
Stokes, who succeeded Joe Root as England's full-time Test captain, has registered four wins in four matches since taking over. The 30-year old, combined with Brendon McCullum, has ushered in a new era by encouraging England to play fearlessly.
🤘
A new era of Test cricket 🎸🤘
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 https://t.co/lLpAtG4fgR
In his column for Sky Sports, Hussain stated that Stokes proved him wrong despite hearing that all-rounders wouldn't make good captains as Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff didn't have much success.
He said:
"His early success shows you not to judge a player by people that have gone before. All I heard was 'it doesn't work for all-rounders as England captain, Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff etc'. He is not Botham or Flintoff, he is Ben Stokes."
The 96-Test veteran continued by saying that the all-rounder has stood up on multiple occasions, making him a rare talent. He wrote:
"I don't know of an England cricket captain that has had a quicker impact on our Test team than Stokes. "
"There are talented cricketers that go out there and do it and then there are smart cricketers. Very rarely do you get a talented, smart cricketer - but that is what Stokes is. You look at the World Cup final or Headingley in 2019."
Stokes has been one of England's key players across formats as he played an integral role in their 2019 World Cup win. The southpaw struck an unbeaten 84 in the decider against New Zealand at Lord's to give England their maiden World Cup.
"I have been impressed by some of the tactics and how he has handled spinner Jack Leach" - Nasser Hussain
The reputed commentator observed how the Durham all-rounder handled his frontline spinner Jack Leach and used James Anderson and Stuart Broad solely as wicket-takers. Hussain added:
"I have been impressed by some of the tactics and how he has handled spinner Jack Leach, some of the subtle tactics a viewer might not see on their TV screen."
He added:
"For example, for James Anderson and Stuart Broad he has mid-off and mid-on so straight and a cover but not a cover-point, saying to them 'you are going to pitch the ball up as we are looking for wickets'".
Well, it took a while but that was worth the wait 🔥
Thanks @BCCI for a brilliant series of Test cricket 👏
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 https://t.co/IRqUwT7apV
Leach, who had a forgettable Test against India at Edgbaston, took ten wickets in the final Test at Headingley against New Zealand. The left-arm spinner revealed to be enjoying playing under Stokes due to his attacking mindset.