[Watch] England all-rounder Ben Stokes returns to nets again: "Great to be back hitting balls"
It appears that Ben Stokes is back and is all set to pad up and play cricket again. The premium England all-rounder was a notable absentee from the summer's Test series against India. He will also miss the upcoming T20 World Cup to focus on his mental health. However, he has also been troubled by a finger injury in recent months.
He required surgery on a fracture to his left index finger at the Indian Premier League (IPL) while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in April. But after surgery, Stokes was still seen struggling. He underwent a second operation on October 4 to remove two screws and scar tissue.
On Thursday (October 14), the Durham star took to Instagram to post a video of his indoor net session.
Ben Stokes pleased to get back to cricket
Ben Stokes' post read:
"It’s casual clothes training on a Thursday…Generally my first ball back and this is what happened 🤣 Then a bit of making sure I don’t break my toe. Then eventually hit a nice one. Great to be back hitting balls."
You can view the clip below:
The post also saw his England mates egg him on to hit the ground up and running. Jos Buttler replied: "Like riding a bike" while another injured player, Jofra Archer said, "First ball might be 4 anyway (doesn’t matter how they come)"
With this, the question is whether Ben Stokes will feature in the Ashes. Earlier, he was confirmed as unavailable when the 17-man squad to tour Australia was announced.
England have maintained their stance that they will not pressure Stokes into a return. Head coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root have repeatedly stressed the same as well.
According to Sky Sports, England and Wales Cricket Board's performance director Mo Bobat said:
"It's hugely positive and hugely exciting,"
"Certainly it looks like the extra medical stuff that has happened and the removal of scar tissue and everything else he had done has freed up his finger and it's given him that feeling confidence again back into his fingers."