Ashes 2023 | Ben Stokes Declares Himself Fit to Bowl in First Test at Edgbaston
Ben Stokes in a training session in Birmingham (Twitter)
Ben Stokes has declared himself fit to bowl in the first Test of the 2023 Ashes series. The English captain was recently seen bowling in a training session with a heavily-strapped knee.
A day prior to the Ashes opener in Birmingham, the all-rounder bowled around four overs under the supervision of bowling coach David Saker.
Ben Stokes set to bowl for the first time in over two months
Ben Stokes turned up in just two matches for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the recently-concluded IPL 2023 season. The cricketer bowled an over in his second game back in early April, before he was sidelined for the remainder of the tournament owing to an injury.
Speaking about his recent training with the ball for England, the 32-year-old said that he has gained much confidence and has gotten himself into a really good shape to bowl again.
While speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said:
"The last three days have been really good for my confidence. I've bowled every day so far and been able to run in with more intensity day by day. I've got myself in a real good place to be able to bowl."
Stokes recently led England in their one-off home Test against Ireland, two full weeks before the commencement of the Ashes. However, he did not bat or bowl in the match. Moreover, the last time he bowled in a first-class contest was back in February this year during England’s one-run defeat to New Zealand in Wellington.
"What I have done is put myself in a place where I feel a lot more capable of being able to do that. I am not going to speak too soon because who knows where I could be in two weeks' time? But hopefully I don't have to worry about that - I will worry about it when it does happen."
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