England’s red-ball captain Ben Stokes hasn’t bowled in international cricket since his knee surgery last year.
Rajkot: Ben Stokes is likely to return to bowling when they take on India in the fourth Test match starting on February 23 in Ranchi. The England skipper, who had a knee surgery last year, is yet to resume bowling in full swing but hinted at a possible return in less than a week at the JSCA International Stadium Complex. Coming to India with a spin-heavy squad, England’s bowling line-up looked weak, the exception being newbie Tom Hartley. Even the likes of James Anderson and Mark Wood failed to make a crack against an inexperienced Indian batting line-up.
In case, Stokes runs with the ball in hand, it will be nothing but a blessing in disguise for the visitors who trail 1-2 in the five-match series. With T20 World Cup in horizon, the ongoing series might be Stokes’ best platform to see where he stands as far as his bowling is concerned. Notably, he is also giving IPL 2024 a miss.
“I have managed to get my first bowl at 100 per cent. I’m not going to lie. I feel really great. As a person I like to jump the gun a little bit but things are feeling really good. I have a whole body to get used to bowling again. It’s not a yes – but it’s not a no either,” Stokes was quoted as saying to Sky Sports.