"I think in time he will be hailed as England’s greatest ever Test captain" - Michael Vaughan praises Stokes' leadership ability following the Ashes
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has proclaimed Ben Stokes as one of the greatest leaders in English cricket and predicts him to top the list by the time he hangs up his boots. The ace all-rounder led England to a thrilling win at The Oval to draw the five-match Ashes series at 2-2 and give veteran Stuart Broad a memorable send-off.
England looked down and out in the series after being 0-2 down after the first two Tests. However, they turned things down in a dominant fashion and were arguably the far better team in the second half of the series. While Australia retain the urn, England can walk with their heads held high for the cricket they have played in the recent past.
Claiming that Stokes should be credited the most for such a thrilling series, Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph:
"Two teams playing in different styles, and playing out five brilliant Test matches against each other. If there’s one man that should get most of the credit for it, it’s Ben Stokes.He’s only been doing the job for 14 months but already he is right up there among England’s greatest ever captains. I think in time he will be hailed as England’s greatest ever Test captain."
Further stating that Stokes will go down in history books for the way he has transformed Test cricket, Vaughan added:
"I think in time Stokes will be remembered as the captain who helped changed the way Test cricket is played — and that surely is the perfect legacy. In 10 years’ time, Stokes wants people to say England changed the game and got people playing in a certain way."
Ben Stokes made some crucial decisions over the course of the series and largely played the series as a pure batter. He has ruled himself out of consideration for the 2023 ODI World Cup and is likely to have his knee looked at by experts to feature as an all-rounder again.
"England have been the better side by a country mile" - Michael Vaughan
England have to settle for a draw, while in reality, they were only five wickets away from reclaiming the urn. A washed-out final day at Old Trafford led to the fourth Test being a draw with England on the cusp of victory.
However, the win in the final match not only gives the hosts vital World Test Championship (WTC) points but also prevents Australia from winning a Test series on English soil since 2001.
Opining that England were the far better team in the Ashes series, Vaughan wrote:
"I know it’s 2-2, but if we had to have a points decision on who’s won, England have won hands down. England have been the better side by a country mile. Without the rain at Old Trafford, they would have got their hands on the urn — but they’ve still got so much to be proud of."
He also mentioned the change in England's fortune since the controversial ball change.
"At times England got a bit lucky in the fifth Test. That ball change was ridiculous. The rain also helped England when Australia seemed to be cruising on the fourth day. But that shouldn’t take anything away from what England have achieved," Vaughan continued.
England made the replacement ball talk which moved off the surface as well as in the air. Chris Woakes, in particular, got the most out of the ball by registering figures of 4-50 with it.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting expressed his frustration over the ball change and called for an investigation as well.
Will Ben Stokes end his career as England's greatest Test captain? Let us know what you think.