England star and Red Bull athlete Ben Stokes made the headlines back in February when Rising Pune Supergiant signed him in a £1.7m deal, a record for an overseas player. It will be a debut IPL campaign for Stokes, and expectations will be high due to his status as the most expensive foreign player in the tournament’s history. The England international all-rounder and Red Bull athlete is a proven performer in all formats, and Pune will be hoping his aggressive style can lift them to an improvement.
Red Bull athlete Ben Stokes
Here, the all-rounder describes who his perfect cricket team would be, featuring legends of the game from both the past and the present.
Virender Sehwag – India
I’d have Sehwag as one of my openers. I reckon he averaged about 50 in his career [49.34], and his strike rate was probably in the 80s [82.23]. To have that as an opening batsman in Test match cricket if you were an opening bowler would be pretty scary, I reckon.
Alastair Cook – England
He’s scored 10,000 runs and he performs all over the world. He’s Mr Reliable, so he’d be my other opener. He’d captain the team as well.
Hashim Amla – South Africa
Number three would be Amla. His record in all forms is amazing – he’s the best batsman I’ve ever bowled at in my career.
Ricky Ponting – Australia
He made fast bowlers look medium pace when he was at the crease. He pulled them in front of square, behind square, for six, and he was just a tough nut. I remember when he got hit by Harmy [Steve Harmison] in the grill. It cut his face and he just got on with it. I love seeing that.
Sachin Tendulkar – India
It’s got to be Sachin, got to be. I don’t think I need to explain why. Ricky and Sachin could swap between four and five, and they can have a fight to see who goes in – whichever one’s got their pads on.
Sir Garfield Sobers – West Indies
I would have Garfield Sobers – you’ve got to have someone from the Stone Ages in there, don’t you? He could do everything: bat, bowl all sorts of different balls, even bowl with his other arm, I’ve heard – so, well done mate!
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Adam Gilchrist – Australia
An obvious choice! He averaged 50 in tests, and God knows how many dismissals he’s had, so Gilchrist is my keeper.
Shane Warne – Australia
Shane Warne’s my spinner, and he can come down and make a few runs when I need him to as well. 700 wickets, a few decent runs down the order and a great slip fielder, so he can slot in at number eight.
Dale Steyn – South Africa
That Dale Steyn bloke – he’s alright, isn’t he?
Curtly Ambrose – West Indies
It’s got to be one of the West Indians. I’m torn between Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, but I’ll choose Ambrose, because he’s tall and would scare people, I reckon. He was quite a decent bowler as well…
Jimmy Anderson – England
The best bowler I’ve ever seen live, if you know what I mean, when I’ve been standing at gully or slip. He just makes batsmen look silly, even the best players in the world.
Tags: #IPL, Athlete, Ben Stokes, Indian Premier League, IPL 10, IPL 2017, Red Bull, Rising Pune Supergiant, RPS, VIVO IPL
