‘I give Ben Stokes an edge over Pat Cummins’ - Nasser Hussain picks England skipper in clash of captains

Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain picked Ben Stokes in comparison to Pat Cummins in the tussle of who is the better captain between them. Although Hussain praised both teams’ captains for their roles and the support they give to their respective squads as players and captains, he gave the English skipper a slight edge over Cummins.

If we look at the performances of both skippers in Ashes 2023, England’s star all-rounder has scored 360 runs and picked up three wickets in four Tests. Cummins, on the other hand, is the leading wicket-taker from the Australian side in the series with 16 wickets in four games. He also played a crucial knock in the first Test, scoring an unbeaten 44 runs to guide his side to victory. 

There is no captaincy by committee with Ben Stokes: Nasser Hussain

“My belief is that winning is still the most important thing — and England believe that deep down, too. They have just found an approach that increases their chances of victory. So that messaging was a bit over the top. But what Stokes did magnificently with the bat after that showed his side how to get the balance right. He absorbed pressure at Lord’s, then attacked when England were six down," said Hussain in his column in the Daily Mail. 

"At Headingley, he attacked Todd Murphy with only one wicket to fall. And there has not been a better illustration of what Bazball is about than the way England batted at Old Trafford, there is no captaincy by committee with Stokes. It is clear he is the man in charge. England should have been more ruthless in the first two Tests, but for the distance, his side has travelled under his leadership, I give Stokes the edge over Cummins," he further added.

Speaking of Ashes 2023, the Ben Stokes-led side is currently trailing by 1-2 in the five-match series, whereas after drawing the last Test at Old Trafford, the Australian side retained the Ashes. Now the home side will be looking to level up the series by winning the fifth and last game at the Oval. For the fifth game, the Pat Cummins-led team will take on England’s side at the Oval starting on July 27.