5 reasons why Ben Stokes will be England's key player in the Ashes

#3 England's X-factor

Ben Stokes adds an extra mile to the English Side

Ben Stokes is a cricketer that any captain would love to have in his team. He's talented, lively and thrives under pressure. The New Zealand born cricketer lends immense balance to his squad. He bats in the middle order and can bowl some quality overs. While his batting gives the much-required impetus the England's batting line up, his bowling provides Root with a reliable option to go to when in need of a wicket or two. Stokes even has an impressive record against the Aussies.

Australia, on the other hand, has been struggling to find a quality fast bowling all-rounder to fit into their squad. Mitchell Marsh has been provided many opportunities. But he has failed to capitalize any of those. They tried a brief stint with Hilton Cartwright which didn't work either. So England definitely has an X-Factor about them with Stokes in its ranks and have got the fast bowling all-rounder box ticked.