England’s Ben Stokes announce his arrival in Ashes 2021-22 in Australia.
English all-rounder Ben Stokes has now confirmed to make his comeback in cricket after a long four and a half months of rest and rehabilitation. The all-rounder is pumped-up to join the English squad for the Ashes 2021-22 in Australia.
Stokes, 30-years old, hasn’t played any competitive cricket since July 26 as he went on for an indefinite break to support his mental wellbeing. He represented Northern Superchargers in The Hundred with an injured finger before announcing an indefinite break from all sorts of cricket.
England’s mainstay was not included in the India tour of England for five test matches and is also not named in England’s T20 World Cup 2021 squad.
During his break, Stokes underwent a successful surgery to treat his finger injury, which he sustained during the Vivo IPL 2021 phase one in April. The all-rounder has begun his moderate training and will ramp up the process in the coming weeks before joining the English test squad for Ashes.
“I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted,” Stokes said. “I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.”
The Ashes 2021-22 is slated to begin December 8 in Brisbane’s Gaba. The final test will be played from January 14, 2022.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already added the superstar all-rounder, Ben Stokes, to England’s Test squad for the Ashes 2021-22.
Ashley Giles, England Men’s cricket managing director, said that the management will take cautious steps towards the progress of Ben Stokes, as the cricketer hasn’t played a single competitive match for four and a half months.
“We will move forward cautiously over the next few weeks to ensure he (Ben Stokes) is fully prepared across all facets of his game,” said Ashley Giles.
He further reckons that the addition of Ben to the English side will be excellent news for the coach and the skipper.
“Having him available for the Ashes series is excellent news for all of us and, in particular, Chris [Silverwood], Joe [Root] and the rest of the players.”
England Squad for the Ashes 2021-22:
Joe Root ©, Dawid Malan, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Dom Bess, James Anderson, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Rory Burns, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes.
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