Phil Simmons heaps praise on English all-rounder Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes in action against the West Indies

A swashbuckling left-handed batsman and a decent seam bowler, Ben Stokes’ future looks bright. After Andrew Flintoff’s early retirement in 2009, England's search for a full-time all-rounder may end with Stokes who seems to be a front-runner for the spot.

Stokes’s career until now has been full of ups and downs. On his debut, he scored just 3 runs against Ireland in an ODI in 2011 and didn’t get a game for England in 2012 due to a combination of injuries, lack of form and disciplinary issues. The high point of his career came when he made his debut for England in Tests and played against Australia in the 2013-14 Ashes.

Although England suffered a humiliating 5-0 whitewash, Stokes made a brilliant maiden Test century in the third Test and took career-best figures of 6 wickets for 99 runs in the first innings of the 5th Test. After the highs of an Ashes, he had a dismal 2014 where he managed just 43 runs in 12 innings in all formats, with six ducks, at an average of 3.60. He was nicknamed 'the Hurt Locker' after breaking his wrist punching a dressing room locker last year which later ruled him out of T20 World Cup.

Simmons compares Stokes to Kallis

His destructive 79 in the first Test and display of medium-pace bowling against West Indies has impressed former Windies all-rounder and current coach Phil Simmons who is all praise for the all-rounder.

“He’s in the mould of Jaques Kallis, a guy that can take a game away with you with bat or ball. I wish I had him at No. 6. That’s the glue in the team. It allows Jimmy Anderson to come back fresh. If you can give Jimmy and the other bowlers a break it’s a big thing.

“I love how he gets into the game. I enjoy it. He showed his quality in Australia. He took them on and he scored a hundred. I’ve been impressed with him since then.

“He’s come in easy situations for him so far. He likes to play shots, so we’ll see how he is when he comes in a tough situation batting wise, but he fields, he throws, he bowls fast. I like to see that. I didn’t see much of his bowling before this series – just his batting – but that’s the kind of cricketer at six you need,” Simmons said.

Paul Farbrace, the assistant coach of England, believes Stokes has a lot of untapped potential that can only be unlocked by playing more games.

"The great thing with him is that for five days he gives you absolutely everything. In the field, his diving stops, his aggression, he certainly is someone that the more he plays the better he'll be, there's no doubt about that," Farbrace noted.