World star Stokes set to be key again, warns Du Plessis

Rival captains Faf du Plessis and Joe Root were united in their praise of World Player of the Year Ben Stokes ahead of the third Test between South Africa and England starting at St George's Park on Thursday.

Stokes, man of the match when England levelled the four-match series with a 189-run win in the second Test in Cape Town, was named the world's best player by the International Cricket Council on Tuesday. He is likely to be a key player in a pivotal match in the series.

"It was very well-deserved," said South African captain Du Plessis.

"He's had a fantastic season where he played big moments really well. That's when you really want to judge cricketers, when it really matters, and that's why he has been so successful over the last year. He's single-handedly won so many games for England."
For us, he is guy that we need to keep quiet because he's that sort of player that takes the game away from you when he gets in, similar to what Quinton de Kock does for us."
Unlike wicketkeeper De Kock, Stokes offers a strong bowling option. "He's got a big tank," said Du Plessis. "He bowls many overs and tries 150 percent."
It's just been fantastic to be a part of the same team. He's affected games across all three formats. In my opinion he's definitely the number one player in the world at the moment."