Ashes 2021-22: Ben Stokes added to England squad after ECB's medical clearance

Ben Stokes has been added to England’s Ashes squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on October 25. Stokes, who announced an indefinite break from cricket to prioritize his mental health, has been cleared by his consultant and the ECB medical staff to resume training after his successful surgery on a fractured left index finger.

Stokes pulled out the five-match Pataudi Trophy against India earlier this year and has not played any cricket since July when he was active for Northern Superchargers in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. He picked the finger injury during the first half of the 2021 Indian Premier League against Punjab Kings while attempting to a take low catch before being ruled out of the entire tournament.

Stokes made a brief return when he led a Covid-19 struck England team against Pakistan earlier this year to a 3-0 victory in a home ODI series but remained inactive ever since, while also not being named in England’s T20 World Cup squad.

“I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted,” Stokes was quoted as saying in an ECB release. “I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia,” he added.

“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.

“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.

“Ahead of a very busy period of cricket, we continue to remain mindful of the stresses on all our personnel, and our primary focus continues to be the wellbeing of all of our players and support staff.”

“Having not played for some time, we will move forward cautiously over the next few weeks to ensure he is fully prepared across all facets of his game. Ahead of a very busy period of cricket, we continue to remain mindful of the stresses on all our personnel, and our primary focus continues to be the wellbeing of all of our players and support staff,” Giles added.

The Ashes will commence from December 8 in Brisbane’s Gabba.

England Ashes 2021-22 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