The West Indies take on England in a three-match, newly named Richards-Botham Trophy in North Sound, Antigua, and all eyes will primarily be on two of the best all-rounders going around in Test cricket. Performances of Jason Holder and Ben Stokes, both with bat and ball, will be crucial for their respective sides in the outcome of the series.
Currently, Holder is the top-ranked Test all-rounder, whereas Stokes is ranked sixth. In terms of individual batting rankings, Holder and Stokes are ranked 46th and 25th, respectively, whereas both are ranked 15th and 46th, respectively in ICC’s Test bowling rankings. In this piece, we discuss the impact both of them have had on their teams and how they could play a vital role in the ongoing Test series.
Holder averages 30.96 with the bat, whereas Stokes averages 36.05 with the bat. With the ball in hand, Holder’s average of 27.13 is better than Stokes’ average of 32.34. Stokes is mainly a batter who bowls, whereas Holder started as a bowler who has rapidly improved his batting performances. This can further be proved by the fact that Stokes has batted at all possible batting positions, and 91.43% of his innings have come in the top-six, whereas Holder has only batted once at number five, and all the remaining innings have been at six or lower.
This is also evident from the difference in their performances in matches that their teams have won and lost. The difference in batting average (average in wins – average in losses) for Stokes is 20.68, whereas for Holder, it is 12.44. In terms of bowling averages, the difference is -11.37 for Stokes and -23.03 for Holder. This shows that Stokes has had a higher impact with the bat in the Tests that England have won, whereas Holder has created a greater impact with the ball in hand in Windies’ wins.
Holder vs Stokes
A true comparison between two players, especially players of similar type, can be made by comparing their performances in the matches that they played against each other. Both players have failed to create an impact in each other’s home countries, with their impactful performances, both with the bat and ball, coming in their home conditions.
At home, Stokes averages 73.87 with the bat and 19.7 with the ball. Holder, on the other hand, averages just 20 with the bat and 34.11 with the ball in England. In West Indies, Holder’s returns improve exponentially, with the Barbados-born all-rounder averaging 62.83 with the bat and 23.81 with the ball. Stokes has struggled to get going in West Indies, averaging 26.66 with the bat and 41.27 with the ball.
Both the all-rounders have better returns in their stronger suits -Stokes with the bat and Holder with the ball. Yet, over a period, they have both contributed handsomely in the other departments, helping their teams emerge victorious by their all-round performances. West Indies will once again bank on Holder to keep England at bay, whereas England will hope that their star all-rounder overcomes his struggles in West Indies and helps his team beat West Indies at home for the first time in 18 years.