So glad to end my field trip
BIG Ben Stokes is back and ready to chime in with some wickets against Pakistan.
The Durham all-rounder played as a batsman in England’s opening two one-day wins at Southampton and Lord’s as he works his way back to full fitness following the calf injury that cut short his Test summer.
Now, as England hunt the victory that would see them wrap up the series with two games to spare, Stokes is itching to be let off the leash by captain Eoin Morgan after declaring himself fit to bowl at Trent Bridge tomorrow.
“The plan from the start was to be fit and ready to bowl by the third match and it is looking likely I will be an option for Eoin if needed,” said Stokes. “I have done all the prep to get myself fit and I’m putting my hand up to say I am ready to bowl.
“I bowled for about 15 minutes flat out in my last net session. All the build-up stuff I needed to do has been done so, if I am needed, hopefully Eoin will ask.”
One reason Stokes is so keen to return to bowling is that he has found it slow going in the field without the added responsibility of being part of England’s attack.
“It’s so boring!” he said. “Honestly, it makes the fielding innings seem a lot longer.
“But I apply myself on my fielding as well. One thing that keeps me switched on is I don’t want to give away any runs. I want to try to stop as many as possible and that has got me through the fact I am not bowling.”
But being picked as a specialist batsman at No5 for the first two ODIs ahead of Jonny Bairstow was a huge compliment for Stokes, even if his memorable double hundred in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January, a match in which Bairstow also scored his maiden international century, marked him out as a special talent.
Stokes, who followed up an unbeaten 15 in the first match of this series with an eyecatching 42 from 30 balls in Saturday’s four-wicket win, said: “I was a bit surprised I got the nod ahead of Jonny. Since South Africa he has shown amazing form. But at the same time it’s nice to get that confidence from your captain and coach saying we want you to play as a specialist batsman, so I have wanted to make sure I make some runs.”
England have made short work of a Pakistan team who have looked every bit as bad as their world No9 ODI ranking suggests. Even their coach Mickey Arthur has admitted his side are “behind the times” when it comes to one-day cricket, managing totals of just 260 and 251 batting first in the opening two games. A resurgent England team, who have made scoring 400 their routine aim, might be thinking of a 5-0 series whitewash but Stokes says they must not look too far ahead.
“We have gone 2-0 up in the series because we have been playing the better cricket,” he said. “If we were to think we have won it already and slip up that would be the worst thing we could do.
“We haven’t won the series yet – we have got the next game to do that – so we’ll still be trying to improve.”
With Stokes back with ball in hand, England have every chance of doing just that.
SURREY beat Yorkshire by 19 runs to reach the final of the Royal London One Day Cup.