Ben Stokes' England teammates have lauded the all-rounder as "phenomenal" and a "legend" after he played a match-winning innings to help them beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final.
The victory means England are now double champions, given they also hold the 50-over World Cup after winning it on home soil back in 2019. And with Stokes playing key roles in both triumphs, the likes of Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, player of the tournament Sam Curran, captain Jos Buttler and former skipper Eoin Morgan have showered him with praise.
Livingstone was at the other end when Stokes hit the winning runs and told BBC Test Match Special: "Stokesy was quite calm. As soon as I walked out he said 'let's make two Cumbrians hit the winning runs to make England win the World Cup'.
"It was special. He is phenomenal man. He has done it twice to win England a World Cup. What a night. He does it. He just gets it done. That's what you want in this team."
Wood, meanwhile, added: "We've got a fantastic togetherness in the group. Ben Stokes is the man you want in this situations, he's a legend. At times he didn't hit them as cleanly as he wanted but he was there at the end. Time and time again he is the man for us."
Curran, who was named player of the match after taking 3-12, said the award should have been given to Stokes instead. "He is incredibly special," Curran said.
"He is someone I have always looked up to. He always turns up when the team needs him to. There is no questioning him. He is the man.
"This is very special. I don't think I should be getting this [award] the way Stokesy played, to get a 50 in the final." Buttler, meanwhile, labelled the Stokes the "ultimate competitor" and praised the way he and Moeen Ali "took it away from Pakistan".
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler said: "We got away to a decent start which controlled the run rate. We bat deep as well. And that man Ben Stokes is there again at the end.
"He is the ultimate competitor in anything he does. He has a hell of a lot of experience now as well. He can take a lot on his shoulders. And the way him and Moeen Ali played took it away from Pakistan."
And Buttler's predecessor Morgan, who only announced his retirement from international cricket in June, described Stokes as a player who "continues to stand up for his country when his country needs him".
"Ben is just such a special player," Morgan told Sky Sports. "In big games he continues to stand up for his country when his country needs him. That is such an incredible skill to have.
"When something has the potential to go awry, Ben is the guy that thinks coolly and calmly under pressure and makes brilliant decisions. He's done it so many times now."
