Yet 126 years later, the illustrious captain of the England cricket test team, Ben Stokes, is back in training. He subsequently missed the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval, with a shoulder injury. The 34-year-old all-rounder tore his right hamstring during a County Championship draw at Old Trafford in July. He fought through the pain for the last three days of the 4th Test match.
Stokes has already started to hit again after resuming batting practice with his county side. Pundits have been ecstatic and hopeful this means he will be ready for the Ashes series later this winter in Australia. Ryan Campbell, the head coach of Durham, has full faith that Stokes will return. He expects Stokes to be a transformative presence for the historical Ashes campaign.
“The way he goes about his work to recover just blows me away. It’s why he is one of the greatest all-rounders that’s ever been and it’s why he will be ready for Australia.” – Ryan Campbell
Stokes’s contributions on the field are vital for England’s success, with Campbell stating that the team can only hope to win the Ashes if Stokes “plays all five Tests and does well.” The new coach clearly expects big things out of Stokes. At the same time, he is concerned about the captain’s ability to balance the pressures of five Tests in a row.
“He will leave no stones unturned, but can he play five Tests in a row with the workload he has? He will try, but I am not 100% sure.” – Ryan Campbell
Stokes is on his way back at a critical time for England. He is known as one of the greatest cricket all-rounders of all time. On the field, he can make a huge impact in the batting order. What’s more, as a third or fourth seamer he’s a reliable workhorse, turning him into an invaluable October weapon. Campbell mentioned that Stokes is just a hairsbreadth away from full fitness.
“If that happens, it’s not only great for Durham but also for England. He is extremely close to playing.” – Ryan Campbell
Stokes threw himself into training, working on his craft. To his credit, he took on a player development coaching role with the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, underlining his passion for deepening the game’s roots. Today, Stokes is doing really well with his recovery. According to recent reports, he’s been crushing balls during practice workouts.
“Over the last week, he’s started to hit balls and had a really good session. Scott Borthwick was throwing to him with [coach] Will Gidman for nearly two hours.” – Ryan Campbell
Though Stokes’s batting looks promising, Campbell stressed that his bowling comeback will need to take time and be diligently controlled. Stokes is getting “very consistent” treatment, according to the coach. He is not only focused on staying fit, but getting back to full fitness before the Ashes get underway.
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