Veteran pacer James Anderson has remarked that Ben Stokes is on track to become the best all-rounder that England has ever produced in its cricketing history.
Anderson’s comment came after Stokes guided England to a series-levelling victory with his stellar all-round showing in the second Test against West Indies at Old Trafford.
See Also: Joe Root in awe of 'Mr. Incredible' Ben Stokes after latter’s heroics at Old Trafford
"He's certainly the best all-rounder I've ever played with and he's becoming the best all-rounder that England's ever had. There's no reason why he can't go on to become even better. With the bat, he's averaging in the 40s, with the ball he's below 30, and he's taking spectacular catches. It's just incredible that we've got him on our team and he's great to watch," ESPNCricinfo quoted Anderson as saying.
"It's hard to say how good he is because it's hard to find the words. Joe said the other day we were in the presence of greatness and he's spot on. He gets into any team as a batsman, while his bowling gets better and better each time he goes out there. It's just amazing to have that talent in our team, and to be able to watch it first-hand as well was amazing," he added.
In the second Test, Stokes scored 176 and 78 not out across the two innings in Manchester and also picked up three wickets in the game as England defeated West Indies by 113 runs.
With this performance, Stokes also overtook Caribbean skipper Jason Holder to become the world’s top-ranked all-rounder while also achieving a career-best third position among batsmen in the updated ICC Test rankings.
Heading into the series-decider, the hosts have selection conundrums and it would be interesting to see their bowling combination.
Talking about him and Stuart Broad bowling in tandem, Anderson said: "I'd love to think that we've got plenty more games together in the future. Our record together speaks for itself. Obviously, there will be moments in the future where we're not bowling together, which is happening in the series already and in the last two years. But I'd like to think that, if we're in a situation where we're both fit and England are picking their strongest bowling attack, we both be in that."
"You always want to be in that best team. That's all I've ever tried to do and it's the same with Stuart. But we've got six or seven world-class bowlers in this group, so we're making sure that everyone's in the right place, and the right frame of mind to go out and bowl their best for England if called upon," he continued.
The third and final Test will start from Friday (July 24) in Manchester.
