Giles and Root welcome return of star Stokes
unbeaten century that helped Root’s side to a highly improbable victory at Headingley.
England’s plans for Australia have already taken a knock as Jofra Archer and Olly Stone will definitely miss out through injury, and Silverwood made it clear they were not putting pressure on Stokes about a return.
Shortly afterwards, Stokes – who missed the 2017-18 series against Australia because of his involvement in a melee outside a Bristol nightclub – posted a picture of himself gripping a bat properly for the first time in six months.
He has been posting videos on Instagram of his training recently and is now poised for action, having last played cricket on July 26 in The Hundred, a few days after coming back to England duty on short notice to captain a makeshift side to a 3-0 one-day clean sweep over Pakistan.
Ashley Giles, managing director of England’s men’s cricket, greeted Stokes’ comeback warmly, but insisted gradual steps must be taken over the coming weeks to make sure the 30-year-old is as prepared as he can be for an international return. Giles said: “Ben called me to say he was ready to return to cricket and was excited about the prospect of playing a significant role in the Ashes.
“Time and time again, Ben has demonstrated how important he is to the England team and having him available for the Ashes series is excellent news for all of us and, in particular, Chris, Joe and the rest of the players.
“Having not played for some time, we will move forward cautiously over the next few weeks to ensure he is fully prepared across all facets of his game. Ahead of a very busy period of cricket, we continue to remain mindful of the stresses on all our personnel, and our primary focus continues to be the wellbeing of all of our players and support staff.”
England Test skipper Joe Root was delighted with the news.
The Yorkshireman tweeted: “One of the greats as a cricketer and an even better bloke. Welcome back.”
The first Test against Australia is currently scheduled to start in Brisbane on December 8, with the five-match series concluding in Perth on January 18.