Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers just lately engaged in an enthralling dialogue along with his ex-teammate Shaun Pollock concerning the ongoing Ashes sequence between England and Australia.
De Villiers expressed his admiration for England captain Ben Stokes, acknowledging his distinctive expertise as an all-rounder and memorable management qualities.
Within the final three Exams of the Ashes sequence, Australia emerged victorious within the first two matches, whereas England bounced again to win the third Check, protecting the sequence alive and injecting renewed pleasure into the competition.
De Villiers lavished praises on Stokes, recognizing his prowess as each a batsman and a bowler. The Proteas star counseled Stokes’ all-round skills, emphasizing his affect on the sport along with his contributions in each disciplines.
Talking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers stated: “He’s [Ben Stokes] an unimaginable cricket participant. He’s acquired a extremely sharp cricket mind. You see, we watched him in that final Check match, how calm he was. Really, all of the Check matches, I can let you know now, to lose the primary two Check matches within the five-match sequence could be very nerve-wracking however he was all the time simply calm, particularly dropping that second one so shut.”
Moreover, de Villiers highlighted the challenges confronted by Stokes, acknowledging the criticism he has encountered from the English commentators. Nonetheless, he lauded Stokes’ potential to deal with such scrutiny with grace, displaying a stage of maturity and resilience that units him aside.
“I do know he caught some criticism from the commentators, which I believed was a bit harsh as a result of it’s very straightforward to maintain criticism if you tunnel down in a sequence and issues should not going your method. However I believed Ben Stokes dealt with it very properly,” remarked AB.
Stokes presently stands because the second-highest scorer within the Ashes 2023, simply behind Usman Khawaja, accumulating 309 runs in three Exams at a mean of 51.50. His standout efficiency got here within the fourth innings at Lord’s, the place he scored a outstanding 155 runs in a dropping trigger.
When it comes to bowling, Stokes has taken three wickets within the first two Exams. Though he didn’t bowl within the Headingley Check, the place England secured an exhilarating three-wicket victory, his contributions with each bat and ball have been instrumental within the hosts’ Ashes marketing campaign.
Clearly impressed by Stokes’ all-round skills, de Villiers added, “He’s a improbable batter and a improbable bowler who can take the sport away from the opposition with each bat and ball. What a participant.”