Ben Stokes return’s to England’s Ashes squad

England have been handed a lifeline for their Ashes tour down under, with the return of leading all-rounder Ben Stokes. The Durham man returns after taking a break from the game to concentrate on his mental health and to have surgery on his finger. The announcement made by the England Cricket Board on Twitter has been greeted with positivity, led by captain Joe Root who wrote ‘Welcome back my friend’.

Stokes has been posting his progress on social media of him bowling and batting in the nets, but this return is even earlier than the most optimistic England fan could have hoped for.

Stokes gives the squad a far more balance look as it should mean that veteran fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson can be rested during the series. It also makes it far easier for the selectors to include specialist spinner Jack Leach into the side, as again Stokes provides the side with batting depth.

The original 16-man squad announced was also without X-Factor fast bowler Jofra Archer who was ruled out of the series with an elbow injury. Mark Wood is the only bowler who can consistently bowl above 90mph, and his body is unlikely to be able to let I’m play five tests, so the squad is looking short on raw pace. England will be hopeful that Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns can find form out in Australia with the talented, but short of form Zac Crawley being the only top order batsman in reserve.

There had been some doubt that the squad would even be travelling to Australia due to the countries strict border regime as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Faced with the possibility of having to endure strict quarantine to even travel between states in Australia and being away from family for up to four months, players such as Jos Buttler had threatened not to tour at all. However, an agreement was reached between the ECB and Cricket Australia, meaning that family members would also be allowed into the country so that the players would be in a far more relaxed bio-bubble in between testes. The mental health of the players was a key factor and reasoning for them not wanting to face strict restrictions which they found incredibly difficult last summer, with Buttler in particular being open about his struggles.

This change in quarantine rules for the cricketers was also announced at the same time as Australia easing its overall border restrictions, meaning that Australian citizens entering the country could quarantine at hime, rather than in a hotel. While it is not seen as a primary reason, the willing of the Australian government to allow a more relaxed bio-bubble for the England team shows the power of sport and the sheer importance of the Ashes.

With vaccination rates on the rise in Australia, its hoped that the games will have crowds to spectate a tour where England are the underdogs, having not won a test match in Australia since January 2011.

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