On Tuesday, England’s ace all-rounder Ben Stokes. expressed his thoughts on the rumored changes in Test cricket. In a podcast organized by his IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals Ben Stokes spoke on the same.
Stokes insisted that the oldest form of cricket will lose its sheen if it undergoes any changes. The flamboyant Englishman also said that players like Virat Kohli or Joe Root share the same ideology and wouldn’t support any commercial changes in Test Cricket. He doesn’t want to see any amendments made in Test cricket to make it look ‘easy’ or viewer-friendly.
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He said, “For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle. There’s been a lot of talks recently about Test cricket dying, but I don’t know where that comes from. You ask all the players who, or maybe not all the players, but I know the likes of Virat (Kohli) and (Joe) Root have spoken about how Test cricket is where you really get tested.
“It’s where you find out what you are really about as a cricketer and for me, it is the purest form of the sport. It has to stay around, it would be a sad, sad day if Test cricket was changed. If they are going to change the rules, I think they should call it ‘easy cricket’,” the 28-year-old all-rounder said.
The 28-year-old English allrounder and World Cup winner shared his admiration for fellow RR teammate and Australian Steve Smith. Stokes said that he has always found the Aussie star a little strange but explains that’s how ‘geniuses are meant to be’.
“He’s still strange to play against and he’s still strange to play with and the best thing about it is that he admits it. He knows it, he knows it! But I feel to be a genius you have to be a bit strange and you know he’s certainly both.”
The rivalry could not take away the respect that Stokes has for Smith’s craft. “Even though he plays for Australia, biggest rivals England and Australia you’ve just got to hold your hands up sometimes to players like that and go yeah you’re on a different level when it comes to batting.”
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Stokes added, “I could never be like that. Personally I could not think about cricket in the way that he does when it comes to batting. He’s on all the time but that’s why he averages sixty whatever he does in Test cricket but that’s not for me but it’s for him, who’s to say who’s right or wrong.”
