Stokes scored 84 runs and took three wickets in the five-match T20I series against India.
Ben Stokes might be England’s No. 1 all-rounder in all forms of the game, but former cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain reckons that the southpaw is yet to showcase his talent in T20 internationals.
Hussain's comments came after England’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of India in the five-match T20I series, which was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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"The one lad that is a bit of grey area is Ben Stokes. First of all, you cannot give Stokes an excuse, at the moment he has not transferred any of his other form, his Test match form, white-ball form away from the international T20, but he has not done it yet anything in international T20s," Hussain told Sky Sports.
"With the IPL, there will be areas where Ben Stokes will be better than a lot of players there. Now, the debate is that England has a gun batting lineup, Dawid Malan is the number one ranked T20 batsman in the world, that's a fact. So should Ben Stokes who has not done anything in T20 international cricket take over from someone who has done something in international T20s, that's a big call to make," he added.
During the five T20Is against India, Stokes batted at No. 5 or 6 and registered scores of 24, 46 and 14 from three innings while he managed to take three wickets in the series.
"Difficult calls for Morgan to make, but we know Eoin Morgan, if he has to make some difficult decisions, he will make them even on the eve of the tournament. He will be ruthless, but it is about can they find a role for Stokes or they stick with guys they have got," said Hussain.
"You get to a World Cup semi-final or final, if you need 20 off the final two overs, and you have Stokes in the middle, you would not want a different character out there. So whatever he has done, Ben Stokes is someone who wins you big games," he further remarked.
Stokes will now be seen in action in the three-match ODI series against India followed by his appearance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals (RR).