Stokes must train smarter to avoid injury, says Bayliss

TREVOR BAYLISS will tell Ben Stokes he must change the way he prepares for games to avoid spending even more time on the sidelines. Stokes ended Tuesday’s one-day international against Sri Lanka — a record 219-run thrashing — virtually batting on one leg after suffering severe cramp in Colombo. That followed a wholehearted approach to training from Stokes the night before the game, when he batted for an hour-and-a-half in the nets before lengthy bowling and fielding sessions. It is Stokes’s attempt to make up for lost time. He missed the whole of the last Ashes while suspended before his trial for affray and then suffered a number of minor injuries, particularly to the left knee that appeared to be giving him trouble on Tuesday. That has contributed to Stokes rarely being at his best since being acquitted by Bristol Crown Court. He is still facing charges of bringing the game into disrepute for his role in the incident outside a nightclub. ‘We’ve been trying to do that for the last three years!’ said England coach Bayliss when asked if the time had come to rein Stokes in. ‘He’s slowly starting to realise he may not be able to go 100 per cent every single time and train a little bit smarter, especially in these conditions. ‘We’ve got a couple of days off so he’s got time to recover. We’ll have another chat about how much work he does.’ Bayliss admitted the fringe players given a chance on Tuesday had failed to impress. ‘It’s one thing giving the guys an opportunity but they’ve got to take it,’ added Bayliss ahead of Saturday’s one-off Twenty20 match.