Nasser Hussain feels Ben Stokes needs to have a hard look at himself

England are currently racing ahead in the series with a 2-0 lead over the hapless looking visitors. The addition of Ben Stokes for Nottingham Test will only strengthen his team’s confidence in being able to wrap up the series with two games to spare.  Meanwhile, English all-rounder Ben Stokes had missed the second Test at Lord’s owing to his trial surrounding last year’s affray outside a nightclub in Bristol.

The 27-year old may have breathed a sigh of relief after having been declared not guilty at the Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, but Nasser Hussain still wants him to “have hard look at himself”. Stokes is expected to make a comeback to the England team in the third Test against India starting from August 18 (Saturday).

Hussain finds a vast difference between Stokes on and off the field

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Nasser Hussain said, “As far as selection goes, Ben is one of the best XI cricketers in the country and has been found innocent in a court of law, although, obviously, [coach] Trevor Bayliss and [captain] Joe Root have to look at Ben mentally. I am amazed how well he has coped mentally over the last few months with this hanging over him and as long as they feel he is mentally fit for selection then they should pick him.”

As a veteran cricketer and an equally equipped cricket expert, Hussain talked about the difference that he spots between the on and off-field Ben Stokes. He also termed the 27-year-old as a simple guy but felt that he needs to stay away from controversies which have become part and parcel of his life unnecessarily marring his already illustrious career.

He said, “The Ben I know and who I see around the cricket team is a popular, unassuming, down-to-earth, very pleasant individual that will stay after a game and do autographs with kids for an hour and give his time. But I only see Stokes at cricket, so Ben has to make a decision – the image we see of him at cricket is probably not the image that has been portrayed over the last six months in the newspapers.”

“Ben is a pretty simple guy – he is most comfortable, most happy playing cricket for England. He loves it. It’s all he wants to do, to be honest. If he says he is available to play then Joe, who knows him well, will want him back. Importantly, I think Stokes needs to have a long, hard look at himself – it’s a couple of times now he has been in the press for the wrong reasons,” added Hussain, urging Stokes to play for England at the earliest.

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