England head coach Chris Silverwood has on Tuesday (August 17) ruled out the possibility of calling back their talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes from his mental health break despite their struggle against India in the ongoing five-match Test series at home.
At the end of July 2021, Stokes took “an indefinite break from all forms of cricket with immediate effect” to prioritize his mental well-being, given the stress of his role as one of England's most high-profile cricketers and to completely recover from his finger injury.
At the moment, England has found itself in chaos as apart from their skipper Joe Root, no other batsman could score runs consistently against the quality Indian attack so far in the Test series.
With England struggling to get runs against Team India, the hosts would ideally need a player like Stokes to support Root, but Silverwood made it clear that the all-rounder won’t be asked to come back from his break unless he himself feels ready to come back on the field.
His decision came after England lost to India by 151 runs in the second Test at Lord’s on Monday (August 16) despite being in a tricky position against India at home, as they have a hectic winter schedule ahead.
Notably, England is scheduled to play two T20I matches in Pakistan in October followed by the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman and then the Ashes series in Australia, and a three-match Test series in the West Indies.
Silverwood said, “No, there is no pushing from my point of view. I don't think you can push with these issues. I will wait and there will be an element of waiting for him to come to me to let me know he is ready.”
The head coach further reiterated that the decision of his return has to lie with Stokes and his family. He further noted, “There is no time limit on it. I would stress again the important thing is Ben is okay, his family is okay, and that he comes back strong and, when he re-enters the frame, he is ready in his mind to come back and perform for England like we know he can.”
Silverwood signed off by saying, “I am certainly not pushing him for an answer and I don't think that would be the right thing to do. There are people around him supporting him and, when he is ready to come back in, we will welcome him with open arms, but until then he will get all the support he needs.”
(With AFP Inputs)
