Former England bowler Steve Harmison has claimed that his ex-teammate Ben Stokes should be used as a top-order batsman.
After breaking onto the international scene with impressive displays in the disappointing tour of Australia last winter, Stokes has struggled to find his best form for England, and he missed out on a place in the squad for the World Cup.
Harmison, who played alongside Stokes at Durham, believes that the all-rounder needs to be given more responsibility with the bat after he offered a reminder of his ability by scoring 77 from 37 balls batting at three for the Melbourne Renegades in a win over the Hobart Hurricanes on his Big Bash debut.
"What he's doing is showing people that he's a top-order batsman," Harmison told Sky Sports News. "People that know him have always said he's a batsman that can bowl, and so he's almost been a victim of his own success because he can bowl so well.
"If you pick someone to bat in a certain place they'll bat that way, especially at number eight when you've not got much time and you've got to hit out from ball one almost.
"If you give him a bit of time, up top, he will get a big score, I'm convinced by that because he's made for playing on the big stage."
Stokes has played in six Tests, 24 one-day internationals and seven Twenty20 matches for England, but he has only managed two scores over 50 across all three formats.
Callum Mulvihill
