Ben Stokes confirms playing one-off Ireland Test as he may abridge his first season for CSK
Stokes likely to miss last part of IPL 2023 [Twitter]
England Test skipper Ben Stokes replied in the affirmative when he was asked about his participation in the one-off Test versus Ireland, starting on June 1.
Stokes' statement on Wednesday gave an inkling that his first season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 could be curtailed as the Test against Ireland is scheduled just days after the tournament's final.
As the all-important Ashes is also slated in June, Stokes does not want to miss out on any chance of preparation as the series against Australia could be the pinnacle of his captaincy career.
While Stokes is confirmed to partake in the game, he will leave it to the other IPL-bound players of England to decide if they want to join in the squad for the Ireland game.
Here's what Stokes said:
"Yes, I'll play. I'll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that [Ireland] game.
"I'll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you've got to think about what lads want.
But what if something was to happen in that game [Ireland] and we lose someone for the Ashes ... It's just one of those where you have to weigh up the options of what the individual person actually wants out of that week, versus do we really need to play that one. Because, obviously, I'm right in saying that series is bigger than that game against Ireland."
Meanwhile, The Three Lions are 1-0 up in the two-Test series against New Zealand. The next fixture is planned to begin on February 24 at Basin Reserve, Wellington.
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