Durham captain Paul Collingwood believes England’s decision to leave Ben Stokes out of their World Cup squad was a strange one, saying the all-rounder “could’ve won you the World Cup”.
Stokes gave the national selectors a stunning reminder of his talents with a brutal century and three wickets as England Lions beat South Africa A by 89 runs on Monday to wrap up the one-day series.
Durham all-rounder Stokes, who was in England’s 30-man provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup but failed to make the final cut, clubbed 15 sixes and seven fours as he scored an unbeaten 151 off just 86 deliveries at the Mamelodi Oval in Pretoria.
Stokes then showed his skills with the ball, taking three of the final four South Africa wickets to fall as the hosts were bowled out for 289 in the 43rd over, leaving the Lions celebrating an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Former England one-day captain Collingwood condemned the choice not to take the 23-year-old to Australia and New Zealand.
“The thing that frustrates me is that England were batting him in the number eight position. He can win games of cricket with the bat solely,” Collingwood told BBC Radio Five.
“You’ve got a guy here who - if he came good in the World Cup - he could’ve won you the World Cup, he could have won three or four games.”
Collingwood compared the decision to play his Durham teammate Stokes lower down the batting order to Real Madrid or Portugal fielding Cristiano Ronaldo in a defensive position.
He added: “If you’re going to play him, you’ve got to play him in the right position - whether that be (batting at) four, five, or six.
“What England did with him is like telling Cristiano Ronaldo to play at right-back, express yourself on the pitch and score goals.”
England start their World Cup campaign against Australia on Saturday, February 14.
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