England captain Joe Root is really excited that his star all-rounder Ben Stokes is firmly on track for the first Test of the upcoming Ashes 2021-22 in Australia, with the first Test to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.
Notably, Stokes took an indefinite break from cricket in July 2021 to focus on his mental health as well as to recover from a second operation on his broken finger. He wasn’t even named in England’s initial Ashes squad.
However, the all-rounder recently announced his comeback from the break after recovering from a second finger operation and is in Australia with the England squad for the upcoming Ashes in 2021-22. He also started training at the squad's quarantine base on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Reacting to Stokes’ progress following his cautious return to training, Root said it was "very promising" and expressed hopes that the all-rounder would be fit to play in the first Ashes Test against Australia.
Root told a news conference, “Ben's been fully involved in training the last couple of days, I mean it's been very light, we are just trying to acclimatize as best we can. He's had a bat, he's had a bowl, taken some catches. He's done his fielding work separately but it looks like he's on track and it's really exciting.”
However, he warned against rushing Stokes. Root said: “It's managing that excitement and making sure that we don't push him too hard and that he's ready, as best as he can be, for that first game. He bowled today in the nets again, very light workloads at the minute, but it's good to see him back in and around things, and being able to get into it.”
On being asked if Stokes would be fit to play in the first Test, the skipper said: “I really hope so. It's been remarkable to see how far he's come. It looks very promising. He's been brilliant. We've seen him at training, having him back amongst things is always great, so it's really nice to have him back involved and looking forward to getting him further involved as things progress.”
Root signed off by saying on the Ashes series, “It's a huge series and one that everyone wants to be a part of to come here and have the opportunity to do something very special. They'll be disappointed but it's another challenge and a great opportunity.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
