Ben Stokes Injury Update: The star English all-rounder had fractured his left index finger during Indian Premier League 2021.
Advertisement
Other than fast bowler Jofra Archer, Test vice-captain Ben Stokes is another high-profile name which hasn’t been included in England’s 15-member squad for a two-match Test series against New Zealand due to an injury.
It is worth mentioning that Stokes had fractured his left index finger during his Indian Premier League 2021 stint for Rajasthan Royals last month. Having played a solitary match in the defunct 14th season of the IPL, Stokes had returned to England and hasn’t played competitive cricket since then.
A fit Stokes would have also not made it to England’s Test squad as the selection committee led by head coach Chris Silverwood has rested all the players who returned from the IPL to give them an “extended break”. Having said that, Stokes would have been playing in County Championship 2021 for Durham before being in contention for England’s white-ball squads for the international summer.
Ben Stokes Injury Update
Throwing light on Stokes’ recovery, Silverwood disclosed that the 29-year old player has made “excellent progress” and hoped for his return to competitive cricket in T20 Blast 2021.
“Ben Stokes is making excellent progress following his fractured left index finger sustained last month in the Indian Premier League. If he continues to improve without any impact on his rehabilitation, we could see him return next month for Durham in the Vitality Blast competition.
Stokesy & Beefy in the house. #ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/oWfjAWTNp7
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) May 13, 2021
“We will assess him again towards the end of this month,” Silverwood said in a statement published on England Cricket Board’s website.
It is worth mentioning that Durham will play their first County Championship 2021 match against Yorkshire in Chester-le-Street on June 11. With back-to-back matches to be played in the competition, it would be interesting to see how the road map for Stokes’ comeback is designed.
