THE secret of Ben Stokes’ new-found skill against spin bowling can be revealed: he is batting with a STUMP.
Stokes often uses a cricket stump in the nets while facing slow bowlers as he learns the art of scoring on turning pitches.
Results have been dramatic on this tour of Bangladesh.
He scored a century and a match-winning 47 not out in the one-dayers and was named Man of the Series.
And his innings of 85 was crucial to England’s triumph in the First Test.
The greatest batsman of all time — Aussie Don Bradman, whose career Test average was 99.94 — practised for hours as a boy by bouncing a golf ball against a water tank and trying to hit it with a stump.
It would be ridiculous to compare Stokes to Bradman, but if the Durham all-rounder can middle the ball with a one-and-a-half-inch diameter piece of wood, then using a four-and-a-quarter-inch bat should be a doddle.
Stokes, 25, is proving equally effective with the ball and his ability to combine reverse swing with controlled hostility brought six wickets in Chittagong.
England head coach Trevor Bayliss has no doubt where his improvement will take him.
Bayliss explained: “He’s only young but the potential of the guy . . . he could be right up there with some of the all-time best all-rounders.
“Only time will tell but, certainly, the strides he has made here on the subcontinent playing spin have been top class.
“It wasn’t all that long ago we were wondering how he might go on spin-friendly wickets, but he works extremely hard in the nets.
“It’s his defence against spin that’s improved out of sight.
“We know that, if he gets a bad ball, he can hit anything over the fence. But you’ve got to stay in long enough to get that loose ball.
“In the past he hasn’t had a lot of footwork and played from the crease a little bit.
“But as we saw in the one-dayers and the First Test, he defended really well off the front foot.
“He got forward and smothered the ball before it had a chance to spin and jump past the outside edge.”
Bayliss confirmed England are likely to make changes to their bowling for the Second Test here in Dhaka on Friday, with the batting unaltered.
But he admitted that resting Stokes to keep him fresh and give others some match practice will be difficult.
Bayliss said: “It would be a brave man to bet against Stokesy playing all seven Tests before Christmas.
“I’m not sure we’re game enough to drop him. We might get a thump in the head!
“He’s a very resilient person, let alone cricketer. We’ve got to watch what he does between Tests to make sure he’s available for all matches.”
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Each of England’s three spinners conceded runs at more than three-an-over in both innings in Chittagong — a worryingly high economy rate on helpful pitches.
Adil Rashid, 28, continues to exasperate because he mixes some near-unplayable deliveries with hittable long hops.
Bayliss added: “The very best leg-spinners have control and consistency as well as the ability to take wickets.
“I think Rash is still on a journey and he’s improving.
“He’s quite capable of taking three, four or five wickets in quick succession.”
Meanwhile, England will this morning name the same 16 players in Bangladesh for the five-Test series in India. Fast bowler James Anderson is still hoping to join the squad but is struggling with a shoulder injury.
With England planning to rotate players for Friday’s Second Test, left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari is likely to come in for Surrey team-mate Gareth Batty while Jake Ball and Steven Finn are contenders for the places of Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad.
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