England coach Trevor Bayliss has heaped praise on Ben Stokes following the star all-rounder’s role in England’s 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka.
With his ability to make an impact with bat, ball and in the field, Ben Stokes is a very valuable asset for England. In the Test series against Sri Lanka, he finished with five wickets – the most for a fast bowler from either side – at an average of 20.40, often coming in to give things a stir with his seam bowling if the Sri Lankans got too comfortable playing the spinners.
With the bat, he scored 187 runs at 31.16, chipping in with noteworthy contributions without setting things ablaze. And his athleticism and energy in the field was – as always – for all to witness. In individual departments, Stokes might not have had very compelling returns, but it is the overall package that makes him coach Bayliss’ first choice.
“You can throw the ball to him, you can put him in any situation with the bat, you can put him where the ball is coming in the field [he took nine catches in this series],” gushed Bayliss. “For me he’s the first pick. His averages may not be the greatest. But you add those three disciplines together and it adds up to one hell of a player.”
Foakes’ strong performances in the middle-order have added another dimension to England’s wicket-keeper contest. Bairstow has publicly stated that he would like to keep the gloves, but in the recent past his claim to the position has been threatened first by Jos Buttler and now Foakes, who performed those duties in the final Test despite both Buttler and Bairstow being in the XI.
“You do not want it to put any undue pressure on other people but it does keep the other guys in the team in some of those positions on their toes. That is a good thing when you have competition for spaces and depth to select from. Even Jos Buttler wants to keep but the way Foakesy has gone on in this series he will definitely be there for the next one,” said Bayliss.
