“We’ve just got to treat Ben carefully”: Ashley Giles hopeful that Ben Stokes will play in the Ashes 2021 Brisbane test

The Ashes 2021: Ashley Giles confirms that the decision of playing Ben Stokes at the Brisbane test is not yet taken.

The Ashes 2021 is set to start from 8 December 2021 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Australia would want to retain their urn at home, whereas the English side would want to regain it.

England have not performed well in Australia in the past. However, the return of Ben Stokes is a very big boost for the side in the Ashes. England’s test specialists are currently training, whereas the T20 World Cup players are still serving their quarantine. The team’s preparation for the Ashes has not been ideal so far. The first 3-day warm-up game was ruined by the rain, whereas the next week’s forecast is bleak as well. Ashley Giles, Managing Director of the English team has expressed his disappointment over the same.

“It’s not perfect preparation and it’s been extremely strange having some of our group so close but yet so far away,” Giles said.

“They’ve been in bubbles now for a long period with the World Cup and then coming here for 14 days. They’ve been very well looked after here but it is still a bubble and it’s still quarantine down there for them.”

The Ashes 2021: No Decision has been taken yet on Ben Stokes by the English team

Ashley Giles has confirmed that the English team has not taken any decision yet on Ben Stokes. Stokes has not played a single competitive game for the last five months. He is not sure of playing in the first test at Brisbane.

“Ben seems to be going well and it’s just great having him around,” Giles said.

“We’ve still got to be steady with him, he hasn’t played a lot of cricket lately, and, going back to that prep period, it’s not ideal for anyone, but particularly the guys who haven’t had a lot of cricket under their belt. We’ll just keep building him up and see where we are at the end of this four-day game.”

Hitting them clean @benstokes38 💥 pic.twitter.com/RFHvvGgTYP

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 25, 2021

Giles insists that Stokes’ situation will be handled carefully as it will be difficult to hold him back when he is ready.

“I’m hopeful and I would always like to be confident. We’ve just got to treat Ben carefully, as we would with anyone else who has been in that position of not having a lot of cricket under their belts. He will be a difficult man to hold back if he is ready to go.”