Ben Stokes added to England squad for Ashes

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been added to England squad for the Ashes. Stokes has been out of action since July after he took an indefinite break from all forms of cricket citing mental health issues. Earlier, he was ruled out of the IPL after sustaining a finger injury. He underwent surgery and returned to play a few games for Durham and England. However, the injury was still troubling him. The stern bubble life plus the injury forced Stokes to take an indefinite break from cricket. However, the all-rounder recently underwent second surgery and revealed that he is feeling much better now. ECB released a statement of Stokes where the all-rounder confirmed his availability for the Ashes.

“I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted. I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia,” he added.

ECB managing director Ashley Giles said that he had a discussion with Stokes and ECB medical staff about the all-rounder’s possible return to cricket. “Following a very successful operation on his finger and several conversations over the last few weeks between Ben and I, our medical staff and his management team, 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 series,” said Ashley Giles, Managing Director of England men’s cricket.

Stokes' return is a massive boost for England as he has been England’s best performer in the last couple of years and his absence had disrupted the balance of the side. “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 (Silverwood), Joe (Root) and the rest of the players, he added.

The Ashes is set to start on December 8 in Brisbane.

Updated Squad: Joe Root (C), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood