Ben Stokes admits ‘serious conversations’ required over nagging knee damage
B
en Stokes will take the time after this Ashes sequence to have “serious conversations” about fixing his long-standing knee concern, with surgical procedure a risk as he units his sights on successful the Urn again in Australia in 2025.
Stokes has been managing the difficulty along with his left knee for years, however the issue has worsened over the past six months with the all-rounder struggling to bowl by the again finish of the winter’s New Zealand tour.
Coming into the Ashes, Stokes mentioned he was assured he was able to play a significant function with the ball, however the all-rounder bowled sparingly throughout the primary two Tests and under no circumstances within the two matches since, with Ollie Pope’s damage permitting England to change the stability of their staff to accommodate an additional frontline seamer.
Speaking forward of this week’s Fifth Test on the Oval, Stokes reiterated that he stays retired from ODI cricket and, barring a late change of coronary heart to affix England’s World Cup defence this autumn, the 32-year-old could have a transparent schedule between the top of the Ashes and the tour of India within the New Year.
Asked whether or not he may use that window to go beneath the knife, Stokes mentioned: “Yeah, it’s something I obviously want to get sorted. The time in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around. So as it’s been manageable we’ve just cracked on.
“But I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. Those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off.”
Stokes has greater than performed his half as one thing approaching a specialist batter on this sequence, with 360 runs at a mean of 51, fewer solely than openers Zak Crawley and Usman Khawaja. However, the captain insists that he’s decided to proceed his profession as an all-rounder.
“It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid,” he added. “Wanting to be involved with the game is something that’s got the best out of myself.
“I said in Wellington after that game, that it’s been frustrating in the last couple of years not being able to have the same impact and play the same role that I have done for the last 10 years. So, it’s obviously something that I want to be able to do and hopefully can get sorted. I keep forgetting that I’m ageing every day.”
Last weekend’s Fourth Test washout in Manchester noticed Australia retain the Urn and ruined the prospect of a sequence decider on the Oval this week.
By the time of the subsequent sequence Down Under in 2025/26, it’ll have been virtually a decade since England’s final Ashes victory and Stokes is already serious about hanging again.
“Obviously, with how this has series has gone and how close we were, it does make you think when we go to Australia do we have a better chance than the last few times we’ve been there,” Stokes added. “Hopefully, it’d be nice to go out to Australia in 2025 and have a good chance of winning.”