Trevor Bayliss believes Ben Stokes is capable of becoming one of cricket's greatest ever allrounders following the rising star's influence in guiding England to a tense victory over Bangladesh in the first Test.
Stokes fittingly took the final two wickets as England clinched a 22-run win in Chittagong on the final morning, having bailed out the tourists with both ball and bat as the Test unfolded.
His 4-26 sparked a Bangladesh collapse as they surrendered a first-innings lead and when the game was back in the balance after England's top order floundered, Stokes rode to the rescue with a mature 85 from 151 balls which helped set a target that proved agonisingly beyond the hosts.
The England head coach has been impressed with Stokes' determination to improve his batting against spin and it is paying handsome rewards, with the 25-year-old also registering his maiden one-day hundred in Dhaka earlier this month.
Stokes' form augurs well for England ahead of a testing schedule on the subcontinent this winter, with five Tests in India to come following the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour later this week.
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"The potential of the guy, he could be right up there with some of the all-time best allrounders," Bayliss said.
"Only time will tell. Certainly the strides he's made on the subcontinent playing spin has been top class.
"I think it's his defence to spin that he's improved out of sight."
With another six Tests to play before Christmas, England have stressed the need to manage workloads and while that might mean resting key personnel, Bayliss was reluctant to include the bullish Stokes in that category.
"It would be a brave man to bet against it, with Stokesy," Bayliss said.
"I'm not sure we'd be game enough to drop him out anyway, we might get a thump in the head!"
