MAULING FOR SAM’S MEN
BBut according to the man who knew Sir Beefy better than most and shared countless hours on the field alongside and against him there is one trait that stands out.
“I see the aggression in
Stokes. It reminds me of
Beefy and I like that,” said Sir Viv Richards who was no wallflower when it came to going toe-to-toe with his opponents.
Sir Viv would use all the pace and hostility he had at his disposal as West Indies captain and would strike fear into opposition bowlers with his own aggressive brand of batting.
And after seeing the way his fellow knight of the realm went about his business up close, he clearly sees the same approach in Stokes. “They are both match-winners who can do something with bat, ball or in the field that can change a game or close it out,” added Sir Viv.
“They are both the sort of player who won’t shy away from a challenge. I can remember
Beefy when he played for
Somerset or England and would take the bull by the horns.
“He wasn’t afraid to step up. In many ways he was the first kind of allrounder who took such a positive attitude with everything he did.”
Stokes aims to make as big an impact as possible on the third and final Test in St Lucia after passing a fitness test on a bruised heel.
Yet his match-winning prowess has INDIAN batsman Priyank Panchal blasted a double century as India A racked up a 200-run first-innings lead over England Lions in the first unofficial Test in Wayanad.
Panchal hit 206 from 313 balls, including 26 fours and three sixes, as India A scorched to 540 for six before declaring.
Lions openers Max Holden and Ben Duckett survived five overs before rain ended play, with the tourists 180 behind on been seen only fleetingly in recent times.
There were moments in
Sri Lanka, most notably with 99 runs and four wickets in the match in
Colombo, plus plenty of catches at slip off the spinners.
But it is fair to say that he has not quite found the form or the consistency he had before his escapade in Bristol in September 2017.
And, until he starts to dominate a series in the way that Sir Beefy did, there will only be one name next to the title of England’s greatest all-rounder.
Sir Viv said: “I think Stokes may have a bit more pace and he may bat a bit longer than Beefy did at times but Beefy just got the job done.
“Beefy won a lot of matches and created an aura around him so that other teams were worried about him.
“You can’t do that if you don’t get the job done and he did it so many times.
“Stokes has had some success in his career so far but he is yet to dominate a series or a few teams in the way that Beefy did.
“That will come if he stays fit and trusts his talent because he has a lot of ability, that is for sure.
“Beefy was so special and I consider him to be the leader when it comes to English all-rounders.
“Everyone that comes after is compared to him, whether it is Freddie Flintoff or Ben Stokes. But there will only ever be one Beefy.” 20 for no wicket. Lions captain Sam Billings said: “I thought it was a really good effort from all of our guys, in terms of our energy and attitude towards it. We kept plugging away.
“We’ve seen how they’ve batted on it and now it’s up to us to do the same.
“There’s no reason why we can’t bat the whole of tomorrow.”