Stokes: ‘I was in a dark place’
ALL-ROUNDER Ben Stokes admits he was in a “dark place having difficult thoughts” after his finger injury.
The 30-year-old handed England a major boost as he was added to their Ashes squad after declaring his readiness to return to competitive cricket following an extended break.
Stokes missed the summer’s Test series against India and is absent from the ongoing T20 World Cup, prioritising his mental health and allowing a fractured left index finger to fully recover.
But having declared his readiness to re-enter international cricket he admits he went through some tough times mentally.
“I feel much better about everything from my finger to my mental well-being,” Stokes, who said he was “buzzing” for the Ashes, wrote in his column for the Daily Mirror. “I know I can focus once again on playing my best cricket Down Under this winter. I probably didn’t realise just how much of an issue the finger was causing me until I got it sorted the second time around.
“But I had also been struggling with bubble life and events off the field.
“I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did, because I wasn’t in a good place and I’m not afraid to admit it.
“I was in a real dark place and having some difficult thoughts.”
Stokes initially sustained the injury in April at the Indian Premier League but despite surgery, continued discomfort saw him abandon a comeback in late July.
A second operation to remove two screws and scar tissue followed earlier this month and he fuelled speculation of an Ashes return this winter by filming himself batting and bowling in the nets.
After the all-clear from his consultant and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s medical team, Stokes has given captain Joe Root and head coach Chris Silverwood a welcome fillip after it was announced he will head Down Under alongside the Test specialists and supplementary Lions party on November 4.