"Ben Stokes is the hero of this era," says Piers Morgan

Speaking to The Cricketer to raise awareness for The Bob Willis Fund, Morgan discusses Bazball, childhood hero Tony Greig and whether he puts cricket ahead of his beloved Arsenal

As the third Test between England and West Indies goes #BlueForBob, Piers Morgan spoke to The Cricketer to raise awareness for The Bob Willis Fund, a charity close to his heart, and chat about his love for the game.

Bazball has its supporters and detractors but Morgan is firmly in the former camp, though.

"Ben Stokes is the hero of this era," he told The Cricketer. "He hit rock bottom, so he has tremendous empathy for people having a bad day. 

"Bazball is a phenomenon. Rob Key doesn't get enough credit for setting the ball rolling. Brendon McCullum is also fantastic. They are three of the best people you could ever meet. 

"Stokes is the person you'd most like to have in the trenches with you; look how caring he is with Rehan Ahmed. There have been Bazball blips. I didn't like the way we batted at Lord's against Australia last summer… but they are revolutionising cricket around the world, almost single-handedly saving Test cricket. They are playing in a way that kids relate to."

Morgan is supporting The Bob Willis Fund which raises money to fight prostate cancer. The charity has raised over £1.5m since it began in 2021 and is back at Edgbaston on July 27 on day two of the concluding England v West Indies Test.

Spectators will be decked in blue to raise awareness for prostate cancer (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Morgan loves an all-rounder of course. His childhood hero was Tony Greig, and now he is friends with Ian 'Beefy' Botham.

"My first Test couldn't have been better. It was 1975, at Lord's. My hero Tony Greig was captain (I wore my collar up like him when playing cricket at school). England were facing Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and it was just magic. I wanted to be Tony. I think it's important to have role models in sports… when I look at my sons, nephews, nieces, you want them to aspire to be vaguely admirable.

"The thing about Greig was that he never backed down. He always took it to the enemy, and he led from the front, whether he was batting, bowling or fielding. After 1975, I then moved forward to the era of David Gower, Beefy and Allan Lamb.

"Time spent in Beefy's company is hilarious. And long may he reign. They say don't meet your heroes, but most of the cricket ones I've met, I've loved: Beefy, Gower, Bob Willis, Lambie, Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee, Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Brian Lara… they have all turned out to be even better people than I thought they'd be. 

"Shane Warne was a wonderfully loyal friend. He had so many scandals to deal with, but he never let it affect him on the pitch. He'd been even more lethal on the pitch if he was on the front page for the wrong reasons. If he was here now he'd say 'live every day as if it's your last because one day you'd be right.' He certainly didn't die wondering what else there was to enjoy in life. 

Tony Grieg was a favourite of Morgan (John Williams/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

^{Morgan pictured alongside Kevin Pietersen at Lord's in 2014 (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

"Kevin Pietersen came to my birthday party, and I fully intended to pay for it, and when I left I was told ‘Mr Pietersen paid for it.' Then he came to play in my village match (Newick CC in Sussex). He's another who doesn't show he's hurting, but when his England career came to an end it left him feeling vulnerable. I still feel it was an absolute injustice. He's probably the best post-War England batsman, narrowly pipping Graham Gooch, Gower, Joe Root…

Morgan also loves the Ashes. "The Oval, Lord's, Edgbaston, Headingley, Trent Bridge, Perth, Adelaide, the Gabba… the magic of it. To go to Melbourne and Sydney for an Ashes series as I did in 2013/14, even though we lost 5-0, it was amazing.

"I've watched a lot of different sports around the world, and there is nothing like it. Golf, tennis, football, nothing compares… I'll watch one-day cricket, I'll watch T20, but the only thing that gets my juices flowing consistently is Test cricket. I could watch the Ashes all year, year in, year out, for the rest of my life and be completely happy doing that."

Despite being a passionate Arsenal fan, he insists: "Cricket is No.1 for me. I was once asked… if I had a choice of scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final for Arsenal, or making a hundred in an Ashes Test at Lord's against Australia, which one would I do, and I immediately said, ‘I'd take the cricket.' I've always loved Arsenal, but growing up, cricket was my absolute passion."

To find out more and donate to help save a life like Bob's, go to www.bobwillisfund.org/donate

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