Is Ben Stokes the Best All Rounder in the World?

Being a bit of a sad man I was listening to Sky's "Cricket Writers on TV" podcast  [Much improved by the return to a studio format.]

There was an exchange around about the 38 minute mark:

Paul Allot: "Ben Stokes is probably the best all rounder in the world."

Neal Manthorp "Do you need to put the probably in there?"

Paul Allot: "No I don't".

The assertion that Stokes was the best all rounder in the world and by a distance wasn't challenged by the two other guests: Phil Walker of "All Out Cricket" and Tom Collomosse of "The Evening Standard."

But the ICC world rankings have the top 5 all rounders as:

1.  Ravindra Jadeja

2. Shakib Al Hasan

3. Ravichandran Ashwin

4. Moeen Ali

5. Ben Stokes

Career averages support the ICC rankings; Jadeja, Shakib and Ashwin all have test batting averages higher than their bowling averages Moeen and Stokes have test batting averages very similar to their bowling averages.

So there is, at least, an argument that Stokes isn't the best all  - rounder in the England team let alone world cricket.

None of this is to denigrate Ben Stokes, an excellent player and quite possibly the best all - rounder in the world, or the contributors to "Cricket Writers on TV" who were responding off the cuff.  But I have a feeling  it is not uncommon in England to overlook the acheivements of cricketers from South Asia or of South Asian descent.