Ashes 2019 | Ben Stokes arguably greatest all-rounder England have produced, states Moeen Ali

Ashes 2019 | Ben Stokes arguably greatest all-rounder England have produced, states Moeen Ali

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Moeen Ali has showered praise on Ashes hero Ben Stokes, making an argument for him to be the greatest all-rounder that England have ever produced. He also said that the decision to pick Jack Leach over him was completely justified and credited the left-armer for his composure under pressure.

Three days ago at Headingley, Ben Stokes took the whole world by storm as he struck a scarcely believable 135* to single-handedly take his team over the line and keep the Ashes alive. Ever since, the all-rounder hasĀ been showered with praise by current and former cricketers, and teammate Moeen Ali is the latest one to have come out and praised "Stokesy".Ā 

Ali, a close friend of Stokes, said that there is now a growing argument to be made for the latter to be the greatest all-rounder the country has produced, alongside the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham. The 32-year-old also revealed that he missed the winning runs hit by Stokes due to his gig with the bat for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast.

"He is the best cricketer I have played alongside and while it might be a massive shout ā€“ and admittedly he is a very close friend ā€“ I would argue he is now the greatest all-rounder this country has ever produced.I know there are past greats like Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff but weā€™re watching another legend in the making here," Ali wrote in his column for the Guardian.

"When everyone woke up on Sunday morning there was a sense that England could do something very special. I followed the run chase throughout the day but with two runs to win I had to be peeled away from the TV screen in the dressing room to go out and bat for Worcestershire in our T20 game against Lancashire," he added.

Ali also revealed that the Bristol incident set Stokes back as a cricketer, but said that he has since become more aware of his surroundings. Ever since his heroics at Headingley, there have been growing calls for the 28-year-old to be made the skipper, but Ali believes that Stokes doesn't need a label and that he naturally leads every team that he represents once he takes the field.

"Just before the incident in Bristol in 2017 I really thought he was coming into his own as a cricketer. That set him back a bit but since then he has become more aware of his surroundings and responsibilities," Ali said.

"He has the Test vice-captaincy back now but he doesnā€™t need a label, because he leads any team he plays in regardless," he added.

One of the major talking points, post the Edgbaston Test, was the performance of Ali, with the all-rounder misfiring with both bat and ball in the first Test. The selectors then made a massive call of dropping him and going in with Jack Leach instead, a move which has paid dividends in a rather unexpected fashion.Ā 

While he did have a decent outing with the ball in both Lord's and Headingley, the left-armer's major contribution was his ice-cold performance with the bat in the third Test, where he served as the foil for Stokes' superhuman knock. Ali has stated that the selectors were right in picking Leach ahead of him citing his country's success as his priority and assured that the left-armer will have his full support for the rest of the series.

"The decision to give him the nod over myself after Edgbaston was one I couldnā€™t argue with.

"All I care about is England doing well and if that means Iā€™m looking on for a bit, I wonā€™t lose any sleep. Whatever happens will happen and I will support Leachy and the boys regardless."

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