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Former English cricketers have advised Ben Stokes to avoid excessive tinkering or changes in technique after he struggled with his batting form following his return to county cricket with Durham.
Ben Stokes is set to return for the upcoming Test series between England and New Zealand at their home. The two teams clash in a must-win WTC campaign against the Kiwis, which will be followed by another three-match home series against Pakistan in the August-September window.
England also sits in 7th position in the WTC points table and has managed to win just three matches this World Test Championship. The three wins came against India and Australia, while they have a PCT of 31.67 and are not much in contention for a spot in the WTC final.
Michael Atherton shows concerns over Ben Stokes' lack of game time
Ben Stokes has been tinkering way too much in recent times, with several concerns over his batting as he returned for a county cricket season with Durham after having recovered from his injuries.
With his batting form under the scanner following a troubled start, Michael Atherton spoke on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast and claimed that this batting issue is linked more to the absence of proper game time than his lack of ability.
“I think actually that sums up Stokes' game and his batting in that he just has lacked a little bit of game time generally. Now, there are all kinds of reasons for that,” Atherton said.
“You know, injury break, fractured cheekbone, and other injuries that he's had. But he's somebody who doesn't like to play matches necessarily outside of the internationals. But I think that point about over-netting and lacking competitive game time is a good point,” he added.
"I think he's at the stage of it where you can't tinker too much" - Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain pointed out that Ben Stokes's frequent injuries have pushed him to do too much batting work in the nets, especially when he is unable to bowl due to batting concerns. He also suggested that Stokes should not make too many changes and should trust his own technical adjustments.
“I think the problem sometimes with Stokes, because he can't bowl, he bats a lot in the nets, and he's injured and he's in the nets batting,” Hussain said.
He added, "But he tinkers a little bit too much. He went through a phase 18 months ago where he started copying Harry Brook's very upright stance, whereas Ben has good rhythm with it. And then he'll tinker with his position on the crease. He'll tinker with his triggers. And he's constantly tinkering.
I think he's at the stage of it where you can't tinker too much. I think he's at the stage of a career now where he should get a technique and not tinker and just go back to being a very natural player.”
"A bit of competitive game time is a good thing,” claimed Michael Atherton
The recent question is not around Ben Stokes' availability for England in the upcoming Test series, but is more about his batting preparation, which has become a technical concern before his return to the longest format of the game.
“I also think, though, that no matter how old and experienced you are, you still need to have some competitive game time. You can't switch it on,” Atherton said. “I mean, some people can switch it on and off like a tap, more so than others.“But I do think even for the best, a bit of competitive game time is a good thing.”
Ben Stokes' fitness and his return with the ball remain positive for England; however, his batting entered the summer under a sharper lens. However, England will want their skipper to be physically and technically sound before the upcoming workload with consecutive Test matches.
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