Ben Stokes Ignored In England's All-Time Playing XI By Current Head Coach

Ben Stokes ignored in England's all-time Test XI [Source: AFP]

It has been only a few weeks since England all-rounder and former captain Ben Stokes retired from the sport, and he is already out of contention for a spot amid the English greats of cricket.

The current England interim head coach, who is overseeing the preparations ahead of the Pakistan Test, Marcus Trescothick, denied Ben Stokes a place in his all-time England XI while choosing another great all-rounder over the 35-year-old.  

Marcus Trescothick Chooses Andrew Flintoff Over Ben Stokes In England All-Time XI

Starting off with his England XI, Marcus chose Sir Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss as the opening pair for his all-time England XI. Describing Cook as a ‘magnificent’ player with a ‘superb record ’, Trescothick found him most suitable to open alongside Andrew Strauss.

Describing Strauss’ position, Marcus was appreciative of the time he shared with him on the field, and how Strauss became the pillar of the England cricket team for the successful period of time he was there with Marcus.

At No. 3, Graham Thorpe found a place whom Trescothick described as ‘gritty and determined’. While at 4, Joe Root, the current England Test captain, was placed. Trescothick was bold while praising Root, though.

“The best player to play for England and probably one of the best players to ever play the game. The volume of runs, and ticking them off and suddenly 12000, 13, 14 and to see what he has done is fantastic,” Trescothick told ECB.

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After naming Kevin Pietersen, Harry Brook and Alec Stewart in the subsequent batting orders, Marcus found himself in a dilemma when he was about to choose an all-rounder at No. 8. However, after a short moment of contemplation, Marcus chose Andrew Flintoff, a fearsome pace bowling all-rounder of the 2000s who peaked with the game but not for a very long period of time.

“This next one was really a challenge. The all-rounder that was tough to go for. Is it Ben Stokes, or is it Andrew Flintoff? I would go for Andrew,” Marcus shared.

Trescotthick then ended his England XI with other great names with the bowl like Steve Harmison, Stuart Broad and the legendary James Anderson, who would complete the star-studded lineup.

Why did Trescothick choose Flintoff over Stokes?

Andrew Flintoff might not seem an obvious choice over Ben Stokes for many, but Trescothick shared a more practical side to his choice for snubbing Stokes from the England all-time XI.

“I’ve gone for Andrew because I have played with Andrew. And I think that gave me an edge. I wanted a more dominant player in that situation, so I could rely on Andrew with his bowling. He was very, very good,” Marcus added.

How does Stokes fare against Flintoff in cricket?

If the debate is about numbers, Ben Stokes has already pushed himself beyond Andrew Flintoff. But if the question is about the kind of player England would want when a match is hanging by a thread, the comparison becomes far more complicated.

The simplest way to separate the two is through their Test records. Flintoff finished with 3,845 runs and 226 wickets in 79 Tests, while Stokes ended his career with 7,273 runs and 252 wickets from 122 matches. Stokes therefore has a considerable advantage with the bat, while Flintoff's bowling numbers remain remarkably close despite playing 43 fewer Tests.

That immediately explains why Trescothick's decision is not as straightforward as simply picking the player with the bigger career. Ben Stokes has scored almost twice as many Test runs and has 26 more Test centuries-plus-half-centuries than Flintoff. He also has more wickets, a better bowling average and twice as many five-wicket hauls.

Yet Flintoff's value cannot be completely captured by those figures. At his peak, Flintoff was a genuine two-way match-winner. His 2004-05 period transformed him from an exciting all-rounder into the player England built their attack around.

Marcus Trescothick’s England All-Time XI: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Graham Thorpe, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, Harry Brook, Alec Stewart (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison, James Anderson

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