Surprised Ben Stokes commends 'talented' squad for 'incredible achievement' against Pakistan

England stand-in skipper Ben Stokes is delighted that the fringe players who have made their way into the ODI side only after the first-choice players were ruled due to the Covid-19 crisis have been absolutely unfazed by the occasion of international cricket.

He said that players coming from county cricket have bought into the idea of playing a certain brand of cricket and have not made it look like a different team at all apart from the change in personnel.

"With how vocal we have been in the media about how we want to play, I think players see that, read that and come in and buy into the mindset we have as a white-ball group. Everyone who has come into this squad has lived up to the reputation and mindset we have as an England team. It's different personnel but everyone has tried to play in the way we want,” Stokes said ahead of the final ODI of the series against Pakistan.

"It's so pleasing to have a group of young players coming from county cricket and straight into international cricket and not let the occasion faze them whatsoever. I think how vocal we have been has definitely rubbed off onto the guys that have come in."

Stokes conceded that he has been pleasantly surprised by the level of performances the players have put in the two ODIs against India although he always knew the squad that was picked at the last moment for the series against Pakistan would be a ‘strong and talented’ squad.

He said that the attitude of players have established that the fearless approach that the England side have employed in the last four or five years have been received well by the players in the county circuit.

"When I looked at the squad I thought that even though it was a last-minute thing, it was still a seriously strong and talented squad. I knew that we would be able to compete against Pakistan - but it would be a lie to say I am not surprised at how easily we have managed to do it,” Stokes said.

"I think it's a reflection of the mindset England has when it comes to white-ball cricket - the modern way of playing is to go out and express yourselves, not worry about the occasion and be fearless."

He credited the players for an ‘incredible achievement’ against a ‘very experienced’ Pakistan side in only two matches and rated players’ performance to turn things around in quick time a real positive for the overall state of England cricket. 

“A great thing to come out of the series is inexperienced guys performing on the biggest stage against a very experienced Pakistan side. To take the series two games in is massive credit to the team. With such a tight turnaround to get a group of players together, to be able to put all that to one side and put in the performances have done, is an incredible achievement,” Stokes added.

“When you have a re-jig, a whole new squad comes in and puts in such good performances, that only adds to the expectations that get put onto the main guys' shoulders when they come back."

Ben Stokes had injured his hand in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League and missed the Test series against New Zealand at the start of the summer. However, he was rushed to return to England side as the leader of the pack in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis in the camp.