England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has been steady behind the wicket in his side’s tour of India as he has claimed six catches and two stumpings in the two matches that have concluded in the ongoing five-match series.
Former England player Alec Stewart has lauded the 30-year-old for his glovework and has compared his quick hands to that of legendary former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who is renowned for his work behind the stumps.
“He does things that no one else can do. His hand speed is second to none,” Stewart said.
“MS Dhoni had quick hands but Foakes has the quickest hands in the game and the ball stays in them,” the former wicketkeeper said.
Stewart, who is the director of cricket at county club Surrey, heaped praise on his compatriot for his attention to detail and incredible work ethic.
“He’s got massive natural talent but his work ethic, and attention to detail, are as good as I’ve come across both when I played and since I’ve been in this role,” the 60-year-old said.
“He leaves no stone unturned. He works on specifics and the quality of the work is impressive,” he added.
The former keeper said that he felt glad that Fokaes was able to get the result he did on the back of such intensive training.
“He knew there would be a lot of spin bowling so it (his training) was 80-20 in favour of his standing-up stuff, which he’s brilliant at anyway — the ball bouncing, the ball turning, the ball keeping low. That’s why I was so pleased for him, after all the hours he’s put in, and then he gets rewarded with some of the catches he took.
Stewart revealed that Foakes worked on specific areas of keeping given the conditions in India and put in a lot of grind.
“We’d discuss the position of his feet, the height he gets, where his hands are. He leads it. We used the Merlin spin machine, mats that spin or one with holes cut in them, so that some spin and some bounce. We do it from 22 yards, or from ten or 11 yards. He knows what he wants to work on and we’ve done that since he joined us in 2014 from Essex.”
Stewart also hailed Foakes’ ability with the bat and commended the 30-year-old’s physical strength and mental fortitude.
“I said a while ago he’s the best in the world and, but for circumstances, he could be coming up to playing 50 or 60 Tests, but I get the need to balance the side and that’s why he’s not played (more). People should not underestimate his batting,” he added.
“He averages just shy of 40 in first-class cricket and when he’s played for England he’s been involved in some match-winning partnerships. You need to be not only physically fit and strong, but mentally fit and strong. The biggest thing is, if you miss a chance, how do you deal with it? He’s good at that,” Stewart concluded.
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