Ben Stokes showed signs of Andrew Flintoff in his dazzling spell, says Stuart Broad

As far as all-rounders are concerned, England has given us some of the biggest names to have played the game of cricket. From Sir Ian Botham to Trevor Bailey, from Wilfred Rhodes to Andrew Flintoff, all these Englishmen have been brilliant with their all-round capabilities. Taking on the legacy forward, now there is Ben Stokes who is currently the ruling all-rounder in the world.

With both power hitting abilities with the bat and an appetite for wickets with the ball, Stokes has the potential to become the greatest all-rounder among the above-mentioned names when his career comes to an end. The 26-year-old bowled a mesmerizing spell on Day 4 in the 3^rd Test against South Africa where he picked up the wickets of Quinton de Kock and skipper Faf du Plessis I consecutive deliveries.

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His sparkling display with the ball had glimpses of the iconic Andrew Flintoff, according to English speedster Stuart Broad. “It felt like one of those intimidating spells that Flintoff used to bowl; heavy and at the batsman,” Today, he [Stokes] bowled as quick as I’ve seen him bowl. He had the wind behind him and his tail was up. The bouncer that hit Elgar early in his spell really fired him up.” said Broad.

“It was a great little period for us to get two key batsmen out with genuine pace. It was an exciting session. When Stokesy gets that momentum it’s great to see. He’s a player who goes with the momentum of the game and he dragged the team with him for that spell.”

Ben Stokes had already made a mark in this Test match at Oval when he scored a gutsy hundred in the first inning. But with his stint with the ball, Stokes made his presence felt as a bowler too.

“He’s a guy you want either batting or bowling in key moments of the game,” said Broad. “That first innings was a really mature knock. He played slightly out of his comfort zone to keep the team calm.

“With Stokesy, he’s a better cricketer when he’s in a battle, when he’s fired up. The team are learning how to get him in that mode more often than not. If you can stoke him up a little bit, he has that steely, focused look about him. He was pumped up for that spell this afternoon. He was frustrated at how he got out and it was a good time for him to get the ball, get him in the game early.” added the bowler.

Broad continued “The crowd got behind him and you can see he was focused. As players you keep saying to him “This is your time, keep going at him here, keep looking to bowl aggressively”. He’s always a better bowler when he uses his bouncer.”