T20 World Cup 2022: Paul Collingwood Defends Ben Stokes’ Shaky Form, Says He Is the One for High-Pressure Games
In the crucial Super 12 match against New Zealand on Tuesday, England will heavily rely on all-rounder Ben Stokes to bring his "A" game to the fore. Their assistant coach Paul Collingwood stated as much, expressing confidence that a match-defining innings from the Test skipper was around the corner.
Brisbane, Oct 31: England will be banking heavily on allrounder Ben Stokes to bring his 'A' game to the fore in the crunch Super 12 game against New Zealand here on Tuesday, and their assistant coach Paul Collingwood said as much, expressing confidence that a match-defining innings from the Test skipper was round the corner. While Stokes has been in sublime form in the longest format of the game, his form has been iffy in the shortest format of the game, with the 31-year-old also taking retirement from ODIs. Stokes has so far scored two runs against Afghanistan and six in the shocking loss to Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup here. With his T20 performance not quite as stable throughout his career as his Test showing, Collingwood is still confident Stokes is the player for big occasions. England vs New Zealand Preview, ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Likely Playing XIs, Key Players, H2H and Other Things You Need to Know About ENG vs NZ Cricket Match in Brisbane
"I guess the one person that you want in your team when the pressure is on is Ben Stokes. We all know what he's capable of, and not just match-winning innings, but match-winning innings under serious amounts of pressure," opined Collingwood. India vs Pakistan in Australia? Discussions for Test Match Are Likely in Progress, Says Former Cricketer Simon O’Donnell
"I know well that if it comes down to the crunch you want a man like Ben Stokes walking out. Not just what he gives with the bat, the options with the ball, and the skill level he brings into the field, as well. You've got to remember, he's an allrounder, so it's not always just the runs that he makes, but it's everything else that he gives. "But I'm pretty confident there's an innings just around the corner, and now we're coming into the crucial part of the World Cup, and it's almost a knockout stage for us. It's must-win games. You always see Ben come to the fore in those situations," added Collingwood.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2022 06:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).