Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes can be 'awesome' for England and for cricket
- Published
Ben Stokes won the match award for his all-round display against South Africa
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup: England v Pakistan |
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Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham Date: 3 June Time: 10:30 BST |
Coverage: Ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Test Match Special. Live text commentary and in-play highlights on the BBC Sport website. |
All-rounder Ben Stokes is capable of doing "awesome" things for the England team and for cricket itself, says captain Eoin Morgan.
Stokes starred in England's opening World Cup win over South Africa, scoring 89, taking two wickets, completing a run-out and, most memorably, holding an astonishing one-handed catch on the boundary.
"Everyone from five years old to 75 who watched the game can relate to having one of those days where you do nothing wrong," Morgan told BBC Sport.
"When he puts in a performance like that it is great, not only for English cricket, but for the sport."
On Monday Stokes will be part of the England side who meet Pakistan in their second World Cup match.
The game is at Trent Bridge, where Stokes played his first international after being cleared of affray last summer for his part in altercation outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017.
When it was put to Morgan that Stokes has not been as combative on the field since the Bristol incident, he said: "I certainly haven't seen it as you guys have. He has been unbelievable since then.
"His work ethic, his mentality around the changing room and his performance have all worked towards what happened against South Africa.
"He did it with a great temperament, which is fantastic to see because he is maturing a huge amount as a cricketer."
And Morgan said Stokes' impressive start to the World Cup was a further boost for an England side that began the tournament as favourites.
"When his confidence is high, it rubs off on other guys," said Morgan. "It's infectious in the changing room and on the field.
"He'll want the ball; he'll want to be in the crucial moment with the bat when we're losing wickets or need to up the rate. In important parts of the game, it makes him an important asset."
England beat Pakistan 4-0 in a series before the World Cup began and then saw Sarfaraz Ahmed's men blown away by West Indies at Trent Bridge on Friday.
With short bowling already playing a huge part in the competition, England could add the extra pace of Mark Wood to their side.
"We saw the wicket the other day went through with more pace and exposed Pakistan, more so with the short ball," said Morgan.
"Pakistan are a side we've played a lot against recently and they are extremely dangerous any day of the week. We are preparing for their 'A' game to turn up and will try to impose our 'A' game."
Pakistan have lost 11 consecutive one-day internationals, but bowling coach Azhar Mahmood said it would not be an upset if they beat England, the top-ranked side in the world.
"We can beat them," he said. "In the one-day series, we were not that far from England.
"We know what England can do and we know what we can do."