Ben Stokes made “significant” progress in preparation for the first Ash Test in England

Rory Dollard

According to captain Joe Root, Ben Stokes is “hopefully” to make his England comeback in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

Stokes was a member of the advance team that arrived in Australia to prepare for the series. He completed a three-day rigorous quarantine at the Gold Coast Resort and then started some gentle practice at the nearby Metricon Stadium.

The all-around star rested indefinitely during the game to focus on his mental health and recovery from a severely fractured index finger, but was not named in the original lineup, but ended his suspension in time to join the first flight.

Stokes hasn’t played cricket since July, but although England has been working hard to lower expectations of him, it seems incredible that he will not play at Gabba Stadium on December 8th. .

“It looks like he is on the right track, which is really exciting,” Root said.

“I really hope so. It’s amazing to see how far he has gone. It looks promising. Ben has been fully involved in training in the last few days. We have seen him in training and it is always great to get him back. Great, so it’s really great to get him back.

“It’s always light, we just adapt to the environment as much as possible. He has a bat, a bowl, catches some balls, and slightly separates his defensive work. This is to manage this excitement and make sure we don’t treat him Put too much pressure so that he is ready for the first game and do his best.”

Root also provided an optimistic report on the health of Stuart Broad, who tore his calf in August, leading to the early end of the summer campaign.

The 35-year-old seaman is eager to leave his mark on the game against his rivals. In 2019, he has won a wonderful series at home and is taking positive steps.

“He played bowling with the Nets again today-one minute of work is very light, but it’s nice to see him back around and able to enter it,” the captain said.

“He is resuming those workloads. For all bowlers, it is indeed necessary to make sure that they are fully prepared for the first test match. We already have all the options.”

The remaining members of the Root test team and head coach Chris Silverwood will take part in the tour directly from Dubai next week as they lost to New Zealand in the 2020 World Cup semi-finals.

Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes all participated in that tragic loss, but Root does not expect any problems with the next challenge.

“I think the series itself is enough to be a way,” he said.

“This is a huge series. This is what everyone wants to be a part of. People look forward to it once every four years. So yes, there will be disappointments, but at the same time this is another reason for us to enter and do something special. A huge challenge and opportunity.”