England all-rounder Ben Stokes took a break from cricket to prioritize his mental well-being, but now says: “I’m looking forward to seeing my teammates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.”
Ben Stokes to tour Australia with England this winter
Ben Stokes has been added to England’s Ashes team after declaring himself ready to play competitive cricket again.
The SUV was initially unavailable when England appointed the group to tour for Australia, having spent the past three months on an indefinite hiatus to allow a finger injury to heal and prioritize their mental health.
However, after undergoing a second surgery on his left index finger earlier this month, Stokes again filmed himself on the net hitting and bowling, fueling speculation of an Ashes comeback, which was confirmed Monday. in the morning.
“I had a break to prioritize my mental well-being and they ordered my finger,” Stokes said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my teammates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.”
Stokes skipped the biggest test series of the summer against India and is also a notable absentee from the current T20 World Cup.
After fracturing his finger in the Indian Premier League in April, requiring surgery, Stokes was still struggling with lingering discomfort in the area when he aborted a tentative comeback in July.
He had a second operation on October 4 to remove two screws and scar tissue and was given the go-ahead by his consultant and the England and Wales Cricket Board medical team to resume training.
Stokes will head to Australia along with the testing specialists and the supplemental group of Lions on November 4.
Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes , Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said England would benefit greatly from having the “talisman” Stokes on their side in Australia.
“This is great news,” Hussain said. Sky Sports News. “Ben Stokes is practically irreplaceable in any format, he is one of the great all-rounders in cricket.
“This is great news for Ben Stokes physically, with his finger, but more importantly, mentally. It just shows that, having taken a break from the game, he is in a better place mentally.”
“Obviously that will have to be dealt with in the coming weeks and months, but it is great news that England have their talismanic cricketer on their side.”
Hussain expects Stokes to be named to the lineup the first time he asks when England will meet Australia in the opening test on December 8.
“It would be like leaving Ian Botham out or something like that,” Hussain said of not playing Stokes.
“You have to remember what Stokes did at Headingly the last time we were lucky enough to be there. I was lucky to comment that time.
“That was one of the best tackles I’ve ever seen by a cricketer in the cricket test match. He won that test match with his own bat, the scenes in Headingly were really remarkable and he’s that kind of guy. cricket player.
“He’s the kind of cricketer you need against Australia too, someone to look them in the face and face them. He’s that kind of cricketer, you think of Botham, you think of Kevin Pietersen. They (Australia) like him. chasing back players, Stokes definitely won’t do that.
“If he’s fit and available, Stokes plays, and all the other pieces of the puzzle just snap into place.”
England bowler Stuart Broad suffered a calf injury in the run-up to the second Test of England’s summer series against India, causing him to miss the remainder of the series, but declared himself “fit. and shooting “before the Ashes.
With fast bowling duo Jofra Archer and Olly Stone ruled out of the tour due to injury, Broad’s physical condition is crucial in providing Captain Joe Root with options for the tour.
The first test in Brisbane would be Broad’s 150th test, with the Nottinghamshire seamer looking to add 524 plots to its tally.
