IND vs ENG: Brendon McCullum adds mystery to Ben Stokes’ bowling fitness

England skipper Ben Stokes previously clarified that he won’t be bowling at all until summer and is focusing on getting back into shape. However, the all-rounder was seen bowling in the nets during the second and third Test against India in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot, respectively. This has put his fitness into question and raised doubts whether the 32-year-old would bowl in the remaining two Test matches in Ranchi and Dharamshala. 

Speaking about the new development, head coach Brendon McCullum backed Stokes and stated that the all-rounder would end up doing the right thing. He mentioned that the skipper is currently bowling in the nets but might face difficulty if he engages in longer spells during matches. The former New Zealand cricketer added that it’s a good sign for the team but didn’t clarify if Stokes would indeed bowl in the ongoing series against India.

“Well, it's good that he's actually getting into a state where he thinks he might bowl. But Ben is clever; he's really clever as well. He won't bowl unless he thinks he's legitimately able to bowl. The problem would be if he starts getting into a spell and then he can't get out of the spell. So we'll see what unfolds. If he does get that bit between his teeth, then let's see where the danger lies there and try and pull him away from it. But it's a good sign,” McCullum was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Things are feeling really good: Stokes

Sharing an update about his bowling fitness, Stokes mentioned that he is ‘feeling really good’. He kept the cards close to his chest and didn’t reveal much about his intention of bowling in the remaining matches. The Christchurch-born cricketer added that he is optimistic about things but a final decision will be taken after having a chat with the medical team.

“I like to jump the gun a little bit but things are feeling really good. I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no."

“Me being me, I'm always very optimistic about most things. That will be a more detailed chat with the medical team about what workload I have done to pass me off as not being a massive risk. I managed to bowl at 100% in one of the warm-up days here which made me feel pretty good. I felt like I could have bowled in the game but that would have been stupid,” Stokes said.