- Ryan Campbell impressed by Ben Stokes
- Aussie, 53, coaches Stokes at Durham
Former Australian star Ryan Campbell has backed England captain Ben Stokes to fire ahead of the Ashes, declaring the all-rounder is ‘in unbelievable condition.’
It comes ahead of the first Test in Perth on November 21.
Campbell, who made five international appearances and was a mainstay for Western Australia as an opening batsman, also has no doubt Stokes, 34, will be ‘100 per cent’ to bowl when needed.
‘The man works harder than anyone I have ever seen,’ the Durham coach told SportsBoom.
‘I played my whole career with the likes of Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey in Australia.
‘They were all hard workers, but Stokes goes above and beyond those guys.
Former Australian star Ryan Campbell has backed England captain Ben Stokes ahead of the Ashes, declaring the all-rounder is in ‘unbelievable condition’
Campbell, who was a mainstay for Western Australia as an opening batsman at his peak (pictured), also has no doubt Stokes will be ‘100 per cent’ to bowl when needed
England has not won the Ashes on Australian soil since 2010-11, but the tourists are said to be supremely confident (Ben Stokes, is pictured after a recent Test against India)
‘He leaves no stone unturned to make sure he is ready to go.’
Campbell – who survived a heart attack in 2022 – added that Stokes is currently in ‘unbelievable condition.’
‘I think he will play a major part in the Ashes,’ he added.
‘All-rounders (like Stokes) are a prized possession in world cricket. England has one of the greatest of all time.’
Born in Perth, Campbell carved out an impressive first class career before going onto coach in Hong Kong and the Netherlands before joining Durham.
England has not won the Ashes on Australian soil since 2010-11, but the tourists are said to be supremely confident.
Sir Ian Botham isn’t on the same page, with the English cricket great stating his nation’s warm-up schedule for the blockbuster series ‘borders on arrogance’.
‘We are going to wander in and have a little game with the ‘A’ team,’ Botham recently said on the Old Boys, New Balls podcast.
‘Not one (state match), which (for me) borders on arrogance.
‘You’ve got to give yourself the chance. They are saying we play too much cricket. I don’t think we play enough.
‘The conditions are different when you play in Australia — the sun, the heat, the bounce, the crowd and the Aussie players — you’ve got to get used to all that.’
