New Delhi: It was Ben Stokes all-round ability, both with bat and bowl, that made Rising Pune Supergiant make him the most expensive overseas player of the Indian Premier League history. And now, Stokes' RPS teammate has come out calling the Englishman as the hardest hitter of cricket ball.
The whole cricketing fraternity witnessed Stokes' blitzkrieg against Gujarat Lions on Monday, as he helped Pune consolidate 4th position in the points table, having scored his maiden IPL hundred.
Zampa, as quoted by cricket.com.au, said he’s never seen a player hit a ball as hard as his Supergiant teammate Ben Stokes.
"The first few net sessions here I actually couldn’t believe how hard and far he hit the ball," Zampa said in the lead-up to last night’s win in Pune.
"He hits it harder than anyone I’ve ever seen to be fair. It can be scary bowling to him in the nets. It’s just power. You feel like you beat him in the air, spinning away with a wrong’un and he just powers it.
"The power of his batting and he’s been awesome with the ball for us and he just seems like a great competitor," Zampa said when asked what impact Stokes has made in the team since his arrival.
"I’ve never seen someone consistently blow up as much even if he gets out for 50 or 60 or mishits one in the nets. He loves a blow up and is definitely a bit of a competitor."
So how does Zampa handle Stokes' eruption? "I have to walk out or I laugh too much," he said. "He’s a great lad. He’s one of the blokes who tries to make everyone laugh on the WhatsApp group, a bit like myself. He’s pretty funny but I’m probably more successful at making them laugh. He’s a very good bloke."
The 25-year-old England all-rounder linked up with Pune after he was sold for a staggering Rs. 14.5 crore at this year’s IPL auction.
