Alastair Cook has backed Ben Stokes to play the Andrew Flintoff role this summer as England seek to recreate the Ashes fervour of 2005.
Asked who was going to do a Freddie if England are to crack open the bubbly as series winners at The Oval next month, the captain replied: ‘Ben Stokes. He’s been in fantastic form and I believe he’s come into his own. He feels comfortable and I think he’s going to have a fantastic summer.’
The 24-year-old Durham all-rounder has looked a different player since being trusted with more responsibility during Paul Farbrace’s spell as interim coach. He also thrived during his one previous taste of Ashes cricket in 2013-14, scoring a century at Perth and taking a six-for at Sydney.
Cook said: ‘He’s really matured as a cricketer. Being left out of the World Cup squad hurt him. But I like the way he’s gone about his business this summer. He trains incredibly hard, physically he’s in really good shape, and he understands international cricket better than when he started. He likes the competitive side.
‘Him, Jos Buttler and Joe Root are the guys who will take this side forward over the next 10 years.’
Cook did his best to play down the significance of England’s whitewash in 2013-14. ‘You cannot keep harping on about that,’ he said. ‘If you went back five more months before that, we won 3-0 in our own conditions.
‘This is a fresh start. It’s about what happens over the next 25 days. The guys are really excited about the challenge.’
England have not won four home Ashes series on the trot since 1896 but after victories in 2005, 2009 and 2013, Cook’s men can achieve something great.
‘The majority of the side have fewer than 15 Test caps and they’re really excited about the future,’ said the skipper. ‘They’ve got the chance to create their own history.’
Cook’s counterpart Michael Clarke has turned up the heat on England’s batsmen by claiming that Mitchell Johnson is bowling quicker than ever.
‘He’s as ready as I’ve seen him,’ said Clarke. ‘He’s bowling as fast as I’ve faced in the nets, and it’s not fun. He’s also swinging it.
‘Whenever Mitch has seen a big series in his career, he’s really looked forward to it. That’s his personality. He’s fit, healthy and excited about what lies ahead. People have doubted how well he can bowl in these conditions, and that’s given him some fire in his belly.’
Cook preferred not to dwell on Johnson’s obliteration of England in 2013-14, instead citing their previous encounters when Australia’s left-arm seamer became the focal point for abuse from the Barmy Army.
‘Mitchell was outstanding in that last series,’ he said. ‘But a lot of our guys have played a lot with him. It’s kind of 1-1, I suppose. We had the wood over him in 2010-11 and 2009. And he had the wood over us in the last series.
‘But this series is not just going to be about one player. It’s about which side plays the best cricket.’ – Daily Mail