Ben Stokes, the 33-year-old all-rounder, is eager to make his highly-anticipated comeback to the England cricket team. He will be making his debut at the first ever one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Stokes returns from hamstring surgery, which he undertook shortly after last year’s T20 World Cup. This will be his first appearance since the Test series against New Zealand in December. All of us are counting the days until his triumphant return…fingers crossed. He certainly hasn’t excluded an appearance in the second of this England Lions double-header of fixtures!
The England Lions men’s squad will play two four-day matches against India A. It features a vibrant mix of all-stars and up-and-comers. James Rew captains the team, with familiar faces like Farhan and Rehan Ahmed providing elder statesman-like support. The other members of the team are Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox and Rocky Flintoff. They are accompanied by Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, George Hill, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley, Ajeet Singh Dale and Chris Woakes.
All-rounder Chris Woakes is set to return over the course of these fixtures after recovering from an ankle injury. His experience will go a long way to helping develop the Lions. They are getting ready for some key Test matches preparation, with India’s five-Test tour to England starting on June 20.
Ed Barney, the coach of the England Lions, expressed optimism about the squad’s potential, stating, “This series is a huge opportunity for an exciting and highly talented group of players.” He emphasized the importance of the fixtures for both individual growth and team development, adding that it will help in “succession planning for England’s future needs.”
Stokes gave his take on things before the Test match with Zimbabwe, agreeing that there is a chasm between practice and real life. He remarked, “Bowling in a game is completely different to bowling and training, but that’ll probably be a late decision depending on how I feel I get through this Test match.” He further noted that his performance in this game would influence his decisions for future matches, saying, “It will just sort of be how I feel at the end of this [game against Zimbabwe].”
Jofra Archer has been ruled out of competitive action with a fractured thumb. As a consequence, he’s set to miss the remaining fixture of the pool play. Millions from the cricketing community across India & USA are waiting for these matches. Naturally, everyone is going to hone in on the Stokes comeback and the staggering talent of the overall England Lions squad, which is astounding.
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