England World Cup-winning all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has been on temporary leave due to injury and mental depression, has announced his return to cricket after nearly four and a half months. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed in a press release that Stokes has been included in the squad for the Ashes series.
Stokes played his last competitive cricket match in The Hundred Tournament last July. He then took an indefinite break from cricket before the Test series against India.
Earlier, Stokes injured his finger while playing in the IPL last April. His left index finger was broken when taking a catch off Chris Gayle while playing for Rajasthan Royals. Although he underwent surgery immediately, Stokes had to undergo a second operation to reduce the pain.
Stokes wanted to focus on mental health and took a break to recover from the finger injury. He is also not in England’s ongoing ICC T20 World Cup squad. He was not in the previously announced Ashes team. England head coach Chris Silverwood said there was no timeline fixed for Stokes to return. However, he recently returned to private practice after the second surgery.
On his return to the field, Stokes said he needed the break to recover. Besides, he was waiting for his finger to be fixed. He is looking forward to seeing his teammates and spending time on the field with them. And now he is ready to play against Australia.
Confirming the news of Stokes’ presence in the historic Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia, ECB director Ashley Giles said that they also talked to the medical staff and team management. Ben has told him he is ready to return to cricket and play a key role in the Ashes team.
Stokes is scheduled to arrive in Australia on December 4 ahead of the Ashes. However, the two teams will play the first Test on December 8 in Gabba.
England team in 2021-22 Ashes
Joe Root (C), Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Dan Lawrence, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.
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