England team in the crucial Super 12 clash against New Zealand on Tuesday, will be heavily relying on all-rounder Ben Stokes to bring his “A” game to the fore.
Former all-rounder and current three lions assistant coach Paul Collingwood stated that, a match-defining innings from the Test skipper is around the corner.
While Stokes has been in fantastic form in the longest format of the game, the 31-year-old has made sudden retirement announcement this year from ODIs due to his shaky performance in the shorter format, his memorable ODI innings came against the Kiwis in 2019 WC final, where he was adjudged as Man of the Match.
In the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup thus far, Stokes has scored two runs against Afghanistan and six in the shocking loss to Ireland.
But the coach Collingwood is still confident Stokes is the player for big occasions.
“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.
“I know well that if it comes down to the crunch that 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.
(inputs from IANS)