‘I’M READY FOR AUSTRALIA’ BEN STOKES BACK IN ENGLAND SQUAD FOR THE ASHES

FANTASTIC NEWS FOR ENGLAND AFTER ALL-ROUNDER DECLARES HIMSELF ‘READY’ TO TAKE ON AUSTRALIANS THIS WINTER

BEN STOKES declared himself “ready for Australia” as he was added to England’s Ashes squad today, having overcome a serious finger injury and taken a break to prioritise his mental health.

Stokes, who has not played a Test since March, was initially unavailable for selection for the five-match tour, which is due to begin on December 8.

But, having made himself available, Stokes will travel to Australia with England’s Test specialists — minus five players involved in the T20 World Cup in the UAE — next Thursday, having returned to both batting and bowling with ECB medical staff recently.

Stokes badly broke his left index finger fielding for Rajasthan Royals at the Indian Premier League in April.

Having had an operation, he returned with Durham in the Vitality Blast in June before being pressed into action as England’s stand-in skipper for a three-match ODI series against Pakistan, following a Covid outbreak among the main squad.

He later opened up on how he played through “ridiculous pain” and, after a couple of games in The Hundred, took an indefinite break from the game ahead of England’s Test series against India.

He missed all four matches in that series to look after his mental wellbeing and manage the injury, which required a second operation recently to remove “two screws and scar tissue”.

As he missed the T20 World Cup, it was expected that Stokes’s time off would extend to 2022 but, with the second operation proving a success, he returned to training and optimism grew that he could return to action Down Under. Having posted videos saying he was practising pain-free, he has now declared himself available to be added to Joe Root’s squad.

“I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted,” said Stokes (right, in action batting and bowling). “I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.”

The news is a huge boost for England, who are still missing Jofra Archer and Olly Stone, and the series as a whole. Australia hold the Ashes after the drawn series in 2019, and Stokes’s presence raises hopes that England can compete Down Under, where they have won just one Test series since 1986-87.

They have lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, including a whitewash in 2013-14 when Stokes made his debut and a 4-0 defeat in 2017-18 when he was unavailable as he awaited trial following an incident outside Bristol nightclub Mbargo.

Stokes is a cricketer who commands respect in Australia, having made a century and taken a five-wicket haul in his first four Tests there, performed impressively in

2015, then produced the stunning Headingley heist in 2019.

Ashley Giles, the managing director of the England men’s team, 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.”

Giles was mindful, however, that Stokes and his team-mates will need looking after in the coming months.

“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,” he said. “Ahead of a very busy period, we continue to remain mindful of the stresses on all our personnel.”