Improving game under pressure the main target for Ben Stokes in IPL 2017
London: Ben Stokes may have set a relatively high base price for himself at the 2017 IPL Auctions, but the England all-rounder believes that his participation in the franchise-based tournament is more about learning new tricks of the trade, rather than being a mere money-making venture.
The 25-year-old will kick off with a base price of USD 250,000 at the 2017 IPL Auctions.
Eight other players from England are set to go under the hammer on Monday, with England limited overs captain Eoin Morgan and other stars like Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, and Tymall Mills.
“I just want to get picked up. That is the main thing about it,” Stokes was quoted as saying in Telegraph. “I asked Jos (Buttler) how it was and he said it is ‘gun’ which is what we (England players) say for awesome.”
Stokes went on to reveal that he wants to follow the Jos Buttler model to improve his batting in the shortest version of the game.
“Since he came back from the IPL you can tell from the way he has played he has gone to another level in terms of hitting, his consistency and where he can hit the ball,” said Stokes. “He has always been able to hit around the ground but playing in the IPL has taken him another level from where he was.
“We are a very strong team England wise but it will be nice to go away somewhere and focus on the skills that I want to get better at in T20 which are hitting the boundary, different areas and different options with the bat.”
While batting seems to be a primary concern, Stokes revealed that he wants to improve himself as a bowler as well, by bowling under different pressure situations in the IPL.
“How to bowl in a given situation, but then also doing it against the best players in the world that those competitions (IPL) attract. Observing those players as well close up is another big thing,” he said. “Just being in an environment with these guys, training with them, picking their minds on cricket is the kind of thing you can only benefit from.”
