London [UK], July 16 : Former England assistant coach Paul Farbrance hailed skipper Ben Stokes for his performance during the Lord's Test, calling him a "leader of the people" and a "modern Ian Botham".
Stokes was the 'Player of the Match' during the third Test win against India at Lord's, scoring knocks of 44 and 33 in the match and taking five wickets. One of his most impactful moments in the game was running out Rishabh Pant for 74 during the first session on day three, denying India a chance at a lead despite a fine show from the lower-order. During the run-chase of 193 runs by India, Stokes made an impact by cleaning up nightwatchman Akash Deep near the end of day four. Later, during the start of day five, he bowled a lengthy spell, removing KL Rahul, who could have anchored the team to a win despite the batting line-up thinning with each wicket.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Farbrance said about Ben, "The great thing about Ben is that he is a leader. Forget captaincy and, you know, the tactical side of captaincy. Ben is an absolute leader."
"And when Trevor Bayliss (ex-England coach) suggested that Trevor said at the time that Ben could be the next captain of England, a lot of people in the English media laughed and said, do not be ridiculous. You know, I know that when I was involved with the England team, the more responsibility you give Ben, the better he reacts to that, and he is an absolute leader."
"When Ben is doing anything, people want to be part of it. They want to be with him. And I am not saying that he is not a good tactical captain. I am not saying that for one minute, but he is an absolute leader. He's a leader of people," he continued.
The ex-England assistant coach also hailed Stokes for steaming in hard while delivering his bowling spells at Lord's and keeping his team uplifted and motivated.
"The way he was in the field, the run out of Pant just before lunch, you know, when they were trying to get Rahul on strike to get his hundred before lunch. I mean, that really swung the game England's way. And Ben is capable of that. You know, he is a game changer, and it is great to see him fully fit. It is great to see him with the ball in his hand running in because when he runs in, he bowls genuine wicket-taking balls. He's a game changer. You know, he is our modern Ian Botham (ex-England all-rounder). Both of them used to change the game. He used to get people out of the bars to watch him. Ben is exactly the same," he added.
In three matches during the ongoing home series against India, Stokes has scored 163 runs in six innings at an average of 27.16, with a best score of 44. While a big score continues to elude him, he is England's highest-wicket-taking bowler, with 11 scalps at an average of 29.45 and best bowling figures of 4/66.
Ben is indeed a man of big moments, be it his 84* against New Zealand in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, his half-century during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 or his lone-warrior effort of 135* at Headingley back in 2019, Stokes has had multiple instances of winning big matches for his side and guiding them to trophies.
Farbrance hailed Stokes for "dragging his team" in the Lord's Test and said that the match has shut down all the noises around the current England Test team not being about winning but focusing on entertaining through their attacking 'Bazball' brand of cricket.
"Goodness me, the fire in their bellies, the way that they approached this game, you know, it was a feisty test match from start to finish. And as long as, you know, there is not too much of a cost in the line, then absolutely you want to see that. You want to see people playing the game hard and tough."
"But the great thing is, as soon as that game finished, you know, Siraj was down on his haunches, you know, and the England players were straight to him congratulating him. What a great game. And there will be a few days of rest and recuperation and it will go again at Old Trafford," he concluded.
Coming to the match, England won the toss and opted to bat first. England was reduced to 44/2, but a 109-run stand between Ollie Pope (44 in 104 balls, with four boundaries) and Joe Root (104 in 199 balls, with 10 fours) and a counter-attacking 84 run stand for the eighth wicket stand between Brydon Carse (56 in 83 balls, with six fours and a six) and Jamie Smith (51 in 56 balls, with six fours) took England to 387.
Jasprit Bumrah (5/74) was the highlight for India with the ball.
In the second innings, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early, but a 61-run stand between Karun Nair (26 in 46 balls, with five fours) and KL Rahul and a 141-run stand between KL (100 in 177 balls, with 13 fours) and Rishabh Pant (74 in 112 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) took India close to England's score. A brilliant half-century from Ravindra Jadeja (72 in 131 balls, with eight fours and a six) and lower-order contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy (30) and Washington Sundar (23) took India to 387, with nothing separating the sides.
Chris Woakes (3/84) was the top bowler for England in this innings.
In England's second innings, India continuously kept England under pressure, except for a 67-run fifth wicket stand between Root (40 in 96 balls, with a four) and Stokes (33 in 96 balls, with three fours). Sundar (4/22) delivered a game-changer spell, running through the middle-order and bundling out England for 192. India was set 193 to win.
During the run-chase, Team India was reduced to 82/7. However, Jadeja (61* in 181 balls, with four boundaries and a six) was not in the mood to give up. He put up resilient partnerships with the lower-order batters that put England under tension, but Mohammed Siraj's unlucky dismissal, where the ball spun back to the stumps following its landing on the pitch, hurt a million hearts as India was bundled out for 170.
India trails 1-2 in the series. Stokes won the 'Player of the Match' for his handy knocks of 44 and 33 and a total of five wickets in the match, including a three-wicket haul taken in the second innings in tandem with Jofra Archer, who also got three wickets.