Former Australia coach Justin Langer has opened up about Ben Stokes' heroic match-winning innings at Headingley during the 2019 Ashes, branding it the "worst day of my cricket career".
Australia retained the Ashes that year, but were unable to secure a first Ashes series win away from home since 2001 and a large part of that was Stokes' stunning 135 not out in the third Test which earned England a one wicket win and is regarded as perhaps the best Test innings of all time.
And Langer, who was speaking on the 10-part original podcast series from Global – Legends of The Ashes, says Stokes is the one player in world cricket he would love to coach. He also revealed he put a baggy green cap on him and "carried him out of the changing room" when the two teams shared a drink at the end of the season.
"I remember that night when they won, we were sitting in my hotel room and I FaceTimed my wife Sue, she said: 'What are you doing?'" Langer recalled. "I said: 'What do you mean?
"She said: 'What are you doing at the moment?' I said: 'I'm drinking Scotch.' She says: 'You don't drink Scotch.' I said: 'I do tonight baby.' It was the worst day of my cricket career.
"If I could have one player in the world, I would have Ben Stokes. And I remember it was a funny thing at the end of that series, we walked into the changing room and I said to Jos Buttler - because I played at Somerset - I said: 'Jos, Ben Stokes, is he a good bloke?'
"He goes: 'JL you would love him. If you ever coach him, he'll be your favourite player you've ever coached. Really mate, you'd love him.' Anyway, at the end of the night, I remember nicking one of the boys' baggy green caps - we'd had a few beers by this stage - I put a baggy green cap, put him over my shoulder and carried him out of the changing room.
"I said: 'Ben, you're coming with me.' And I just think like [Andrew] Flintoff, like [Kevin] Pietersen, he's just a great player. I just love him. I used to watch him train, he was so fit, so strong.
"He's such a competitor. I just think Ben Stokes, is a very, very, very good cricketer. I'll have him in my team any day of the week." Stokes' teammate Stuart Broad, meanwhile, hailed the all-rounder as "someone who's made for the big occasion".
Broad said: "He's made for those pressure moments. He's so focused and has so much belief that he can just deliver what's needed. He goes into a zone, and you can't get him out of that zone. And I've seen it a couple of times.
"Obviously Headingley's one, the World Cup final had been one and there's a belief within the whole changing room that he will just get us over the line somehow... he's superman, that's what he does. Having spent time around him, when he's in it, he's not talkative, he's not emotional.
"It's just very matter of fact. This is what's going to happen. This is what we're going to do. He's just someone who's made for the big occasion and someone who will always stand up under pressure in those moments that really matter."
Legends of The Ashes is a ten-part Global Original podcast series available on Global Player and all major audio platforms.
