Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have urged England captain Ben Stokes to play more competitive cricket and avoid excessive net tinkering ahead of the Test summer. Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, both former captains warned that too much practice work and too little match time can create unhelpful habits.
Stokes has impressed with the ball in this season’s County Championship, opening the bowling and taking five wickets in two matches for Durham. But his batting has struggled: he has managed just 59 runs in the competition so far. Durham head coach Ryan Campbell has also warned that long spells in the nets can encourage “bad habits,” and Hussain and Atherton agree.
Atherton pointed to Stokes’s recent injury record — including a fractured cheekbone and other setbacks — as a factor limiting his match minutes. He said that, although some players can flick a switch and perform without much domestic cricket, most top players benefit from real competitive game time and can’t rely solely on net work.
Hussain criticised what he described as excessive tinkering in Stokes’s preparation. He said Stokes has experimented with changes — at one stage adopting a much more upright stance similar to Harry Brook’s, adjusting his position on the crease and altering his trigger movements — and that constant tinkering can be counterproductive. Hussain suggested that, at this stage of his career, Stokes should settle on a reliable technique and revert to a more natural approach.
Both men stressed that Stokes has already shown his quality at the highest levels, but they want to see him regain form with more match practice rather than endless adjustments in the nets. Atherton added that a little competitive cricket can help even the most experienced players maintain the timing and feel needed to perform consistently.
The pair also touched on captaincy and England’s broader plans: Stokes has reiterated his shared vision with head coach Brendon McCullum and expressed a desire to continue working together through 2027. For now, Hussain and Atherton’s message is clear — give Stokes game time, curb the tinkering, and let his natural game do the talking ahead of a big summer for England.