Skip to main content

England Test captain Ben Stokes To Miss Early County Games In Fitness Battle

Ben Stokes is not expected to play in the early rounds of the County Championship as he battles to be fit to lead England, his Durham coach Ryan Campbell said on Monday. The 33-year-old Test captain is recovering from hamstring surgery after breaking down in New Zealand in December, his second hamstring tear in five months. But the all-rounder is not yet ready for action in the four-day domestic championship, which starts on Friday. England host Zimbabwe in May, with a five-Test series against India to follow. Later in the year they head to Australia for a five-match Ashes series.

Durham have six matches in the top tier of the County Championship before the Zimbabwe Test.

Campbell, who is also without England quicks Brydon Carse (toe) and Mark Wood (knee), made it clear no risks would be taken.

"When you look at Carse, Stokes and Wood, at this stage they're probably not likely to play for us. My expectation is that it'll be zero -- anything else is an added bonus," he said.

"They're all coming back from serious injuries. The facts are that they need to get up and running by the time the Test matches start.

"But what we know about Stokesy is that he's here nearly every single day working his butt off. The guy had hamstring surgery and was in the next day lifting weights, which I couldn't believe. He sets the bar, wherever he is."

Campbell has pledged to protect Carse, 29, who has impressed since making his Test debut against Pakistan in October 2024, taking 27 wickets at an average of 19.85 in five matches.

"I think Brydon Carse is probably the number one priority for England right now," he said.

"With what he's shown in Test cricket, he's born for that sort of stuff. There's 11 Tests over the summer and winter, and I think he's going to be number one on England's list to make sure that he's ready to go for that.

"Does that mean he's going to play for us? I'm not so sure.... We've known about his foot problems for a year now. It's not new, but he needs to get it right if he's going to be playing a lot of Test cricket."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)



source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/england-test-captain-ben-stokes-to-miss-early-county-games-in-fitness-battle-8056311

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

156.7 Kmph Sensation Awaits India Debut, Bangladesh Start Life After Shakib

Pace sensation Mayank Yadav is expected to unleash his raw speed while the absence of India's T20 regulars will provide another opportunity to the fringe players in the three-match series against Bangladesh, beginning here Sunday. Having consistently generated speed in excess of 150kmph in his maiden IPL earlier this year, Mayank had drawn the attention of the cricketing world before a side strain ruled him out of the tournament. Usually, one has to prove fitness in domestic cricket to be considered for national selection but the 22-year-old has been fast-tracked into the side considering his special talent. The series against Bangladesh will be a test of his fitness and temperament. It is yet to be figured if he can display the same accuracy and control that he exhibited in the IPL. Besides Mayank, fellow Delhi pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could also make their India debut over the course of the series. Nitish was picked for the Zimbabwe tour post the T...
Post a Comment
Read more

PCB Not Happy With Pak Star Over Social Media Post On Babar Snub: Report

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not pleased that Fakhar Zaman questioned the selection panel's decision to sideline Babar Azam from the Test side. The panel dropped former captain Babar Azam when they announced the squad for the remaining two Tests against England in Multan and Rawalpindi. Zaman took to X to question the decision, inviting the ire of the PCB. "The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar and relevant persons are having a word with him about it," a well-informed PCB source said. "It's concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn't bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. "If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shakib Al Hasan's Fans Attacked During Protest In Dhaka Amid Tight Security

A group of people attacked Shakib Al Hasan's fans during a protest in Dhaka on Sunday amid tight security, an eye witness said. Shakib Al Hasan wanted to retire from Test cricket by playing the series against South Africa in Bangladesh. The BCB responded positively to his request and included him in the squad against South Africa. But he was advised by the Bangladesh government not to enter the country due to security reasons while in transit through Dubai on his way back to Bangladesh from the US. Fans had been protesting outside the cricket stadium in Mirpur for several days to protest against Shakib's ban from playing the farewell Test in Bangladesh. On Sunday, a group of people suddenly attacked them with sticks. At that time, the army and law enforcement personnel who were there brought the situation under control by blowing whistles. Notably, Shakib officially joined the Awami League party in 2023. He filed the nomination from the Magura-1 parliamentary seat as an Awami...
Post a Comment
Read more