Ace all-rounder Ben Stokes has been added to England’s Test squad for the upcoming Ashes Down Under, the ECB confirmed on Monday. He has been cleared by his consultant and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) medical team to resume his training after the second surgery on the fractured left index finger.
The official ECB release stated that Stokes will leave for Australia with the rest of the England Team members on November 4. It has also been learned that the 30-year-old is ready to return to competitive cricket following his break from the game at the end of July to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
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“I’m ready for Australia.”
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 25, 2021
“I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted. I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia,” Stokes was quoted as saying by the ECB.
Former cricketer and England’s managing director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles said, “Following a very successful operation on his finger and several conversations over the last few weeks between Ben and I, our medical staff and his management team, Ben called me to say he was ready to return to cricket and was excited about the prospect of playing a significant role in the Ashes series.
“Time and time again, Ben has demonstrated how important he is to the England team and 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.”
“Having not played for some time, we will move forward cautiously over the next few weeks to ensure he is fully prepared across all facets of his game. Ahead of a very busy period of cricket, we continue to remain mindful of the stresses on all our personnel, and our primary focus continues to be the wellbeing of all of our players and support staff,” he added.
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Updated Squad: 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.
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