England have been given a major boost ahead of the upcoming Ashes tour after Ben Stokes declared himself available for selection.
In July it was announced that the England all-rounder would ‘take an indefinite break from all cricket with immediate effect’ seeing him miss England’s five-Test series with India as a result.
The 30-year-old priortised his mental wellbeing and rest after fracturing his left index finger – which be broke while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in April.
However, after being given the all-clear by his consultant – following a second operation on a fractured finger – Stokes will be travelling with the England squad Down Under next month.
‘I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted,’ Stokes said.
‘I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.’
England will ‘move forward cautiously’ with Stokes, says Ashley Giles
England managing director Ashley Giles said Stokes will ‘move forward cautiously’ following his time away from the sport.
‘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,’ said Giles.
‘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.’
Stokes was England’s leading run-scorer in the 2019 series between the teams, with 441 runs at an average of 55.12, including an unforgettable unbeaten century that helped secure a memorable win in the third Test at Headingley.
The five-Test Ashes series is due to begin on December 8 and ends on January 18.
England squad for Ashes tour
Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
