Paul Collingwood backs Ben Stokes for Ashes battle
Sunday 5 July 2015 22:38, UK
Paul Collingwood has warned Australia that potential match-winner Ben Stokes will not take a backward step as he prepares to head into Ashes battle.
The Durham all-rounder seems certain to get the nod for the first Investec Ashes Test, which gets under way in Cardiff on Wednesday, and his combative style makes him a prime candidate for some treatment from the tourists.
However, former England star Collingwood is confident his county colleague will be able to handle the heat as he looks for revenge for last year's whitewash in the southern hemisphere.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "He likes a contest, so I think if the Aussies get stuck into him, he really does thrive on that. He does enjoy the contest.
"The Aussies have experienced him in Australia when they won 5-0 and he had a pretty good series over there against them, and he is someone who will be up for the fight.
"He will certainly not take a backward step. He's an aggressive player - he's another of these match-winners and if he comes off, he's going to cause some serious damage to the opposition."
There has been much speculation over the make-up of Alastair Cook's team for the opener in what promises to be a thrilling series, with much of it surrounding the continued presence of Gary Ballance at number three.
Collingwood admits the new brand of attacking cricket that England have adopted in recent months means that discussion is a valid one, but he is not convinced the time is right to have a re-think.
He said: "Gary's record is phenomenal, his record is absolutely amazing, so again it would be a tough call to drop him.
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"But the new England team, what they have done in the last two months has been phenomenal for English cricket, the way that they have approached things and been aggressive, and you just think is Cook and Ballance in the top three the right thing to do?
"Getting through that new ball is going to be crucial, so then you would say keep Ballance in the side.
"But the great thing about the England side, they look as though they have got 14 players who are ready to play Test cricket, who are ready to play in the Ashes and could do a good job if they get selected."
Should Ballance be retained, he could see plenty of Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson, who terrorised England's batsmen Down Under, and Collingwood knows he could be the key figure once again.
He said: "To be honest with you, I think both sides are full of match-winners, so you could probably pick two or three out.
"But once you get into the Ashes, you will see the key battles come around in the first Test match, and then that will probably happen throughout the series. Mitchell Johnson is obviously a key player. He had the most impact in England last year when he was over for the one-dayers.
"If he swings the ball in to the right-handers, he's a completely different bowler to when he just goes across the right-handers, and obviously going away from the left-handers, so if he gets that going, for all the batsmen he is going to be the key man."
The first Investec Ashes Test is live from Cardiff on our dedicated Sky Sports Ashes channel from 10.00am on Wednesday July 8.
Plus, make sure you download the Ashes Event Centre - our second screen experience which allows you to watch live coverage on your iPad and features an integrated timeline of session-by-session highlights with up to 17 different camera angles, in-running match stats and interactive Hawkeye analysis.
