England captain Alastair Cook says all-rounder Ben Stokes has 'X factor'
Wednesday 26 October 2016 10:34, UK
Ben Stokes has received lavish praise from England captain Alastair Cook following his heroics in the first Test against Bangladesh.
Stokes snared two wickets in three balls to deny the hosts a historic first victory over England in a thrilling finale on day five in Chittagong on Monday.
The 25-year-old New Zealand-born star capped a stunning performance by winning lbw shouts against Taijul Islam and Shafiul Islam on the final morning to secure a 22-run win for the tourists, who take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
The second and final Test gets under way in Dhaka on Friday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 4.30am.
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Cook joined the long list of those complimenting the Durham player and said: "I now say it every single time we speak about him. The guy is that X factor cricketer which every side would love to have.
"And he balances our side and gives us options. The one thing that he has done over the last year is to improve his method against spin."
With a five-match Test series in India coming up for England next month, Cook said there would be changes to the squad for the Dhaka Test.
"I'm pretty sure there will be some changes. In an ideal world we don't want to get to India with people having not played much cricket," he added.
