The Ashes have kept everyone hooked to their seats. The second Test between Australia and England at Lord’s was a nail-biting game. Chasing 371 in the fourth innings, England were bowled out for 327 on the final day. However, England captain Ben Stokeskept everyone's hopes high till he was at the crease. Stokes played a tremendous inning of 155 runs and reached his century with three back-to-back sixes off Cameron Green. While the England skipper may not have been able to take his team on the winning side, he has been earning praise for his brilliant knock. The latest addition to this list is former England captain Nasser Hussain.
Complimenting Ben Stokes’ innings at the Lord’s, Nasser Hussain said that Vivian Richards is the only cricketer he has seen, who was able to hit the ball into the gap or out of the ground as well as Stokes. “Maybe Viv Richards is the only cricketer I have seen able to hit the ball into the gap or out of the ground as well as Stokes. Greatness is a word we use with Viv. It’s one fitting too for Stokes,” wrote Hussain in his column for the Daily Mail.
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Nasser Hussain further said that Ben Stokes showed his colleagues what playing for the team is all about. The former England cricketer added that there is no better cricketer in this era for situations like the second Ashes Test. Hussain even claimed that Ben Stokes was the only player from the past 30 years with whom he would want to be at the crease.
Applauding the England captain, Nasser Hussain wrote that he hasn’t seen a more competitive England cricketer in his time than Stokes. “It’s amazing too how often he gets the ball out of the middle of the bat in these kinds of situations when all the fielders are on the rope. If he doesn’t clear them, he gets it in the gaps,” wrote Nasser Hussain.
England were in deep trouble when Ben Stokes came in to bat. It seemed like the batter was hoping to take the innings further by building a partnership with Jonny Bairstow. The England wicket-keeper's contentious stumping fired Stokes up. The England skipper was playing at 62 when Bairstow was declared out. After that, Stokes completed his century in just 21 balls. He managed to hit 9 sixes in his knock, the most in an innings of the Ashes.
The third Ashes Test will start from July 6 at the Headingley Carnegie in Leeds.