Former wickey-keeper batter of England cricket team Alec Stewart has praised his country’s young wicket-keeper Ben Foakes and claimed that the cricketer has the quickest hand in the cricketing world.
After a year away from the game, Foakes has made a strong comeback in the current five-match Test series against India. In the first two matches, held in challenging conditions in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper showcased his skills by successfully executing six catches and two stumpings.
In an interview with The Times, Stewart offered the ultimate praise for Foakes by asserting that his hand speed surpasses even that of the legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.
“MS Dhoni had quick hands but Foakes has the quickest hands in the game and the ball stays in them. He does things that no one else can do. His hand speed is second to none. 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 [Director of Surrey Cricket Club]. He leaves no stone unturned. He works on specifics and the quality of the work is impressive,” said Stewart.
Stewart provided additional insights into the particular aspects Foakes focused on to adapt to the challenging Indian conditions.
“He knew there would be a lot of spin bowling so it (his training) was 80-20 in favor 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. We’d discuss the position of his feet, the height he gets, and where his hands are. He leads it,” added Stewart.
