Friday 19 September 2014 22:04, UK
Durham captain Mark Stoneman believes all-rounder Ben Stokes could be their match-winner in the Royal London Cup final against Warwickshire at Lord's on Saturday.
Durham beat Nottinghamshire to secure a place in the final, and the man who got them there was Stokes, who smashed a sensational 164 off 113 balls.
With Australian John Hastings absent, Stokes will take on additional responsibility with the ball at Lord’s and Stoneman says the England man will enjoy that.
"There will be more responsibility on Ben and I think he'll really relish that," Stoneman said.
"If he's got a chance of winning games or having an important role, it brings the best out of him.
"If he's left feeling unsure or like he's filling in the gaps, he can get a bit frustrated but on Saturday I'm sure he'll be looking to stand up and put in a match-winning performance."
Stokes was dropped from the Test team after consecutive ducks in the second match against India in July.
Stoneman, however, believes it is only a matter of time before the 23-year-old returns to the international fold.
"The way he performs in county cricket it seems like he would be a sure fit to perform with bat and ball for England," Stoneman said.
"I know he was frustrated with his batting at the start of the season but I've got no doubt that he'll get back up there and be a consistently key performer for England going forward."
Stoneman only took over the role of limited-overs captain in April and the Newcastle-born opening batsman – who came through the Durham academy – says he will be a proud man at Lord’s.
"It would be a proud moment to lead this team out at Lord's whether it was my first or tenth year as captain," Stoneman said.
"But to do it in the first year is pretty amazing - it's quite surreal almost.
"We didn't start the competition too well but once we found our form, we've been fantastic in the last few games and I'm just hoping we can do it again."
Warwickshire coach Dougie Brown is expecting a tough test from Durham but wants his players to focus on themselves rather than their opponents.
"Durham are a side very similar to ourselves - the sum of their parts is probably more than their individuals but they have some good players as well," Brown said.
"All the way through the competition somebody has stood up and put in a match-winning performance, it's been very much a team effort and that's how we have been as well.
"We know it's going to be a tough game and we have to make sure we concentrate on doing what we do.
"Lord's finals are often close matches and I'm sure tomorrow will be no different."
Watch Durham take on Warwickshire live on Sky Sports 2 on Saturday, with coverage from 10am.