Steve Smith, Ben Stokes are the best cricketers: Stuart Broad

London, May 11: England fast bowler Stuart Broad said that all-rounder Ben Stokes is the best player he has ever played with and Steve Smith is the best he has played against. Broad said that the impact that Stokes tends to have on a match in every department gives him the nod over the others he has played with.

"I feel very lucky to have the option to name a few here but, if I thought about three or four, I might get to between 10-15," Broad is quoted as saying by Daily Mail in a question-answer column.

"So, being brutally strict, I would have to say Ben Stokes is the best I have played with, for the positive impact he can have on games with bat, ball and in the field," said Broad.

"As for against? I have yet to figure out the best way to bowl at Steve Smith. He makes life tough for bowlers and has a huge hunger for big scores."

Both Smith and Stokes starred in the 2019 Ashes. Smith was playing his first Test series since being banned from all cricket after the 2018 ball-tampering fiasco and smashed a whopping 774 runs in the series as Australia retained the Ashes.

Stokes was the highest run-scorer for England with 441 and famously scored an unbeaten 135 in Headingley Test which included a whirlwind 76-run stand for the last wicket with Jack Leach. The latter only contributed one run in the partnership and England won the Test by one wicket.