Watching Ben Stokes blow Australia away with the bat at Edgbaston on Saturday, I had the same thought that always comes to mind when I see him play: that's how Mitchell Marsh should bat in Test cricket.

Stokes is the most impactful player in world cricket right now and the way he and Eoin Morgan played the other day just shows how much belief he has and proves that he must have the full backing of the team to play the way he wants to play. They were just so positive and gung-ho right from the start and Stokes plays with that same mindset in Test cricket as well.

It looks like right from the start of his Test career he was told to back himself and play that way. There are always going to be times when he gets out to a bad shot when his team needs him to dig in, but it'll come off more often than not for someone like him.

Stokes puts on ODI batting masterclass

And having seen how Mitch batted in the past 12 months in white-ball cricket for Australia, I can't help but think that he could have the same sort of impact in the Test side. All he needs is a license to go out there and do it, and the absolute confidence that normally comes with having done it before. Both of which Stokes has.

But it's all very well to say 'just go out and back yourself'. A lot of the time when Mitch has come to the crease in a Test match, the team has been four wickets down for not many. It's very hard to truly back yourself in that situation because you know if you get caught at mid-off or in the deep, it's not going to look good. But I can see Stokes doing just that and no one would bat an eye-lid. And that comes from earning the right to play that way and having the full backing of the team to do it.

Quick Single: How Smith helped Stokes succeed

There's no doubt the Aussies would be disappointed to be knocked out early in the Champions Trophy, particularly given their record in big tournaments, but I don't think we should over-analyse the reasons for their early exit.

Wood, Rashid restrict Aussies as Head fires

There can be a tendency after a big event to really drill down into things and try and work what went wrong, but their fate all came down to just one game against a very good team. Australia could have won if they played as well as they can, but England are playing some incredibly good cricket at the moment and I think that win shows exactly where they're at.

Two good teams played each other, one lost and it means they're out of the tournament. It's as simple as that.

I did have a chuckle at Finchy copping plenty from the fans in the Hollies Stand at Edgbaston. Thankfully, I've never really been in that situation over here before – the beauty of having a very ordinary throwing arm is you don't stand on the boundary that often. Plus I was in the same team as Mitchell Johnson on most of my tours to England so the crowd tended to be pre-occupied giving it to him! The rest of us always got off pretty lightly.

Poor Finchy was copping it down on the boundary yesterday 😂 pic.twitter.com/pP2NJhu7ol — cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 11, 2017

You always cop plenty as an Aussie playing in England, but I still reckon Kiwi fans have the best banter. I had a genuine laugh-out-loud moment in Wellington last year when a bloke in the crowd had a sign that said 'David Warner likes Nickelback'. Rather than just being told you're hopeless, the Kiwis tend to go down a completely different route. And it can be very, very funny.

New Zealand crowds take sleding too far last February // Fox Sports

Obviously the Aussies aren't the only big name to drop out in the group stage and, of course, a lot has been made of South Africa falling short in another major tournament. Once again, I think there's a danger of over-analysing things here. There'd be a reason to be concerned if you could quite clearly say that they are head and shoulders better than everyone else, but I don't think they are. The top five sides in the world are so even and everyone could beat the other on any given day.

Quick Single: History of South African heartbreak

If you look back to the last couple of tournaments, they were beaten by a very good New Zealand side in a brilliant match in Auckland and this week they were undone by India, the defending champions and a team who could go on to win it again. It's hard to say that it's always just them not performing in those big games. They've also come up against very strong sides and sometimes you lose against the very best sides, no matter how good you are.

But I do think they can rely on their big names too much. Their top four or five players are genuinely some of the world's best and you're always going to do well when they're firing. But if they don't fire, you're going to need the rest to step up and fill a very sizeable gap, which is always hard to do.

In saying all that, the fact their bad record at big events has been brought up so often and the players speak about it as well means you're always going to mention it as an opposition team out in the middle. Everyone knows how good they are and as an opponent, if there's a weakness there – like any weakness - you're going to target it.

Proteas rocked by dramatic run outs

As always, following Pakistan's progression has been an entertaining experience at this tournament. I had a laugh when I saw Mohammad Hafeez say he loves the "unpredictable" tag that always follows them because I'm not sure Mickey Arthur loves it so much! I know both Mickey and their fielding coach, Steve 'Stumper' Rixon, from their days coaching Australia. I could just imagine on a day when things are going well and all the catches are being taken, Stumper would be sitting back with a glass of white wine and being very happy with himself. But then there'd be the days when they're dropping everything and misfielding and he'd have the towel around his neck and sweating profusely.

There's little doubt that Pakistan are unpredictable. They're particularly passionate and they have a huge amount of pressure on them that no Australian player could even begin to comprehend. And their best cricket is phenomenal.

Pakistan through to semis in Cardiff thriller

On paper, it looks like we might have two lop-sided semi-finals and I'd really like to see England v India in the final because if they both play well, it could be an absolute beauty.

I really think India has gone under the radar a little bit for some reason, which is quite astonishing for an Indian team because they normally dominate the headlines. But with England doing so well, they're just quietly doing their own thing. And everyone is chipping in; they're not just relying on Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni or one of their big quicks to do it all. The fact they left Umesh Yadav out of their last game, who is an incredible bowler, shows what a good place they're in.

Dhawan hundred, Dhoni cameo power India

Just finally, a word on my Hampshire teammate Mason Crane who has earned a call-up to England's T20 team. It's great news for him and for England, but it's terrible for us because now we head to Old Trafford next week, one of the best spinning wickets in England, without him and Liam Dawson, our two best spinners.

But I'm thrilled for Mason. I love playing with him because he just backs himself every game. He always, ALWAYS wants the ball. Even in four-day cricket, the new ball would barely be an over old and he'd already want to have a crack with it and want a long spell to boot. He's got enormous confidence and I think England recognise that so they've given him a go.

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy nation

Schedule

1 June – England beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

2 June – New Zealand v Australia, No Result

3 June – Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by 96 runs

4 June – India beat Pakistan by 124 runs

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, No Result

6 June – England beat New Zealand by 87 runs

7 June – Pakistan beat South Africa by 19 runs (DLS method)

8 June – Sri Lanka beat India by seven wickets

9 June – Bangladesh beat New Zealand by five wickets

10 June – England beat Australia by 40 runs (DLS method)

11 June – India beat South Africa by eight wickets

12 June – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets

14 June – First semi-final (England v Pakistan), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (Bangladesh v India), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)