England hero Ben Stokes right up there with greatest cricketers ever, declares Kevin Pietersen
Ben Stokes' dominant style of cricket has made him one of the greatest to ever play the game, according to Kevin Pietersen.
Speaking on talkSPORT 2 during England's third Test with South Africa, Pietersen heaped praise on his former teammate as his century on day two in Port Elizabeth helped the tourists take full control of the match.
Stokes has enjoyed a phenomenal last 12 months, guiding England to a dramatic World Cup win, producing a 'miracle' performance at Headingley to level the Ashes, and being crowned Sports Personality of the Year and ICC Cricketer Of the Year.
He endured a difficult Christmas off the field as his father was taken ill, but has continued to star with ball and ball and his exploits in South Africa this winter have seen him become only the seventh player in history to score 4,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test cricket.
And Pietersen, himself regarded as one of the greats of the game, has waxed lyrical about the 28-year-old's talents.
"The way that he plays the game, the way that he delivers the knockout blow to the opposition, I think that he's right up there [with the greatest ever]," he declared.
"The way he did what he did in Cape Town, having the emotional issues with his father, to be able to get that white line fever and win a Test for your country is something truly phenomenal and it's certainly something you can't buy in a shop.
"No shop sells it."
You can listen to live and exclusive ball-by-ball coverage of England's tour of South Africa on talkSPORT 2, with Kevin Pietersen part of our expert commentary line-up