Ben Stokes is the best English spider captain I have ever seen – and why taking Chris Woakes to next year’s ashes would take care of me for one reason, writes Nasser Hussain

I felt privileged as a player at Essex that I could learn from the beautiful captain of Keith Fletcher – but I don’t think I have seen a better spider in this country than Ben Stokes.

Those subtle changes in the field, the way he plays with the long and long way, is fascinating to look and yesterday it led to the resignation of the dangerous Rishabh pants.

When Shoaib Bashir was thrown the ball, Stokes Ben Duckett had directly on the border behind the arm of the bowler and pant was not interested in hit the ground.

So, Stokes moved it in 20 meters and a bit wider. Yet pant was not interested.

When he moved Duckett even wider for tea, the percentages were in favor of the Indian left -handed – and it led him to make a six.

Zak Crawley was very wide at that time, but when England regrouped for the evening session and Stokes changed him a little right, making it closer to 50-50 in the spirit of the Batsman or the shot was going.

I haven’t seen a better spider in this country than Ben Stokes, writes Nasser Hussain

Woakes is an example of a bowler who needs his belt to perform at its best

Woakes reminded us of his most important skill – the top of a NIP -Backer – when firing Nitish Kumar Reddy

Stokes did not completely say to him, “Don’t play that shot, I have men there.” He used Crawley as a tempter.

Credit then to Bashir, who bent the perfect middle and leg line for the field that is captain set.

Pant could not go in because of that line, so it forced him to hit in the neighborhood and the ball immediately went to Crawley.

All those subtle changes play with the spirit of a batter. Shall I? Not Shan? If you are confronted with many people on the border, the percentages are not to your advantage, so you do not always play the shot, even if you are Rishabh pants, but this specific field placement has lured him into the trap.

You will often see Stokes, when a bowler is hit four or six, clapping, who shows the bowler that he has full confidence in him.

Sometimes in Headingley last week, when he ended the slip to end, the camera pledged to Stokes and there seemed to be some doubt about his natural attacking instinct.

Pant played a bit with him a bit during that brilliant hundred. Stokes played with pants here.

On two flat pitches, wickets are hard to find so far and the beginning of this series has been a reminder that bowlers are not machines.

Chris Woakes, 36, claimed two wickets, while India -Captain Shubman Gill 114 hit in Edgbaston

In the second innings, the Zip van Woakes was back and the ball was worn over the top of the stumps

England was stopped by Gill, but their bowlers fought well on day one of the second test

Especially someone of the age of Chris Woakes. At 36 he will take even more time to get up to speed.

Woakes is a classic example of a bowler who needs his belt to perform at his best, while others like Mark Wood can come back from injuries and bowl missiles as if they have never been gone.

With woakes the more he cogs, the better he gets. So I wasn’t worried about the first innings in Headingley – Sun Out, flat pitch, you almost got what you expected.

In the second innings there, although he didn’t get many wickets, that zip was back and wore the ball over the top of the stumps.

The speed he bowed was no different, but the actual zipper of the field and the rhythm he developed was.

This was another flat, but Edgbaston is his home bus and in recurring figures from 21-6-59-2 he was excellent. He will get worse and get more wickets.

There has been a lot of recent conversation, whether Woakes can make the ashes of next winter or not

Zak Crawley was very wide, but Stokes moved him when England regrouped for the evening

He would have had more yesterday, but for Sharfuddough, a non -outer from a referee who stood at the end of the city. You could see how frustrated Woakes got with the two LBW decisions that were marginal against him on assessment.

Inducing an inner edge of Kl Rahul was just a reward for his efforts and then, in the evening, he reminded us of his most important skill – the top of the top of a NIP -Backer – in rejecting Nitish Kumar Reddy.

There is enough talk whether Woakes can make the axis of next winter, but as far as I am concerned, selection decisions for that series are still away for months.

What would worry a bit about bringing him to Australia, however, is that there is only one intra-squad warm-up game and you don’t want him to catch a series as a long resignation.