England cricket captain Alastair Cook says all-rounder Ben Stokes gives England the "X factor" and put his improvement down to the work he has done to play against spin. Stokes won man of the match for his performance in England's thrilling 22-run victory in the first test against Bangladesh in Chittagong. He took six wickets, including two in three balls to seal victory on the final day, and scored a crucial 85 runs in the second innings after England's top order collapsed on day three.
Stokes, 27, was accused of knocking unconscious two men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, in a brawl in Bristol, southwest England, last September just hours after he had played in a one-day international against the West Indies.
'At No 3, potentially, I would be facing 100 balls, compared to maybe 60-70 like I normally do. I haven't looked to change too much, just might be facing a slightly different situation, especially when I'm starting off my innings.'
Brushing aside the incessant talk around spin-friendly pitches in India, big-hitting England all-rounder Ben Stokes has said that Test players should be proficient in handling all kinds of conditions.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's three best performing players in all the 17 IPLs (2008-2024).
Intense bidding is expected to be the order of the day when 10 teams jostle to grab their preferred players in the IPL players' auction in Kochi on Friday.
The 36-year-old all-rounder once again rose to the occasion, batting with remarkable patience, steel and a fierce will to fight. Partnering first with Jasprit Bumrah and then Mohammed Siraj, Jadeja weathered thunderbolts and mind games. His 61 not out off 181 balls, spread over nearly five hours, brought India within 22 agonising runs of victory.
What set Stokes' innings apart was not just how he handled the responsibility as England's only hope of salvaging the series, but just how he built his innings over two days.
Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin believes the Indian team needs an 'attitude adjustment' as they seek to find a way out of their fielding woes.
Sunil Gavaskar slams England's 'fake bravado' after Manchester draw
'Look at the opposition. Like in anything in life, try and learn. Why did we collapse? Why Crawley keeps getting starts and keeps getting out? Ben Duckett, got a brilliant 150, gave a charge when the ball was too new.'
Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson and England all-rounder Ben Stokes have been found not guilty of breaching the code of conduct despite clashing during the second Ashes Test, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
Urges others to step up in the all-rounder's absence
England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler lauded "superstar" Ben Stokes following his decision to come out of ODI retirement.
England's World Cup-winning all-rounder Ben Stokes says outside noise used to affect him in his younger days but now he pays no heed to it as he has realised that team and people around hold more importance.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the first Test against England?
The second Test begins on Thursday, with a third and final Test scheduled at Birmingham starting on July 26.
Saud Shakeel's crafty 134 fetched Pakistan a handy first-innings lead before their spinners blew away England's top order to boost their hopes of a memorable series victory on day two of the deciding third Test in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Stokes praises incredibly skillful Akash Deep, says task was to bat out 80 overs
England take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
'I don't' think fines work. I think these lads (cricketers) are quite rich. I don't think the cash is going to affect them.'
The first Test is scheduled to begin on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl and Joe Root will leave England's training camp on Wednesday to be with his wife, Carrie, who is expecting their second child later this week.
England captain Ben Stokes is hopeful Jofra Archer can fully recover from the injury issues that have kept him out of the team since March 2021 in time for next year's Ashes series, but added that the bowler would not be rushed back into action.
India will ponder whether they want to include Washington Sundar, who is quite handy with the bat or Kuldeep Yadav, who is a much better wicket-taking option.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain wants all-rounder Ben Stokes to work on taking his "unassuming" character beyond the cricket field as the player looks to rebuild his reputation.
'Rooty has got 11,500 Test runs, he's brilliant, but he's so desperate to fit in to what Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum) are doing that sometimes I don't think he gets his balance of attack and defence right.'
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
England all-rounder Ben Stokes felt very emotional yet satisfied after his brilliance helped secure a one-day international series-levelling victory against New Zealand on Wednesday in his second game back since being charged with affray.
With ICC sanctions firmly in place, cricket has been losing character due to fear of penalty but there are still a few who can engage the crowd with their on-field skirmishes.
England might surrender the Ashes on the final day of the third Test at Perth but Ben Stokes laid down the template on Monday for their batsmen to follow if they are to take the fight to Australia in the remaining two Tests.
He has taken nine five-wicket hauls in SENA conditions.
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
Having swept away New Zealand 3-0 in their last series at home, just days earlier, England are favourites to win the Test and draw the series that is level at 2-1.
'We've got some solid batsmen in the dressing room. And yeah, it's exciting in every way.'
Ben Stokes survived several scares but featured in a 76-run late afternoon partnership with Ollie Pope as England reached 224 for four wickets at close on the opening day of the third Test against South Africa on Thursday.
The third Test at Lord's could well be the series' turning point. This isn't just about team combinations or tactical tweaks anymore. The pitch has emerged as a defining factor -- one that could tilt the balance of power in a contest hanging delicately at 1-1.
Captain Rohit Sharma and middle-order batter Ravindra Jadeja smashed defiant hundreds to drag India out of the doldrums and into a comfortable 326 for five on the opening day of the third Test against England on Thursday.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah marks his return to the national men's team as Pakistan on Wednesday announced an 18-member squad for next month's two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
A superb century from Ben Duckett helped steer England to a sensational five-wicket win in the first Test against India after a thrilling day five on Tuesday.
Ben Stokes is poised to lead the team in the first Test against West Indies on July 8 with captain Joe Root likely to miss the game to attend the birth of his second child.
