Ashes 2021-22: Injured Ben Stokes unlikely to bowl again in the SCG Test

The ongoing Ashes 2021-22 has turned out to be a rather dismal series for England. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that they have been bullied by Australia so far. However, to add salt to their wounds, their star all-rounder Ben Stokes isn’t fully fit.

After sustaining an injury to his left shoulder during the second day of the Sydney Test, the English all-rounder is unlikely to bowl for the rest of the match. As a matter of fact, he might have to miss the fifth Ashes Test match at Hobart as well, which is all set to start from January 14. While he left the field after bowling the fifth delivery of his fourth over on Thursday, the England management has held off sending Stokes for a scan.

When asked about his current status, his teammate and England pacer Stuart Broad said that he had no information about him at the moment. However, he was hopeful that Stokes could take the field on Friday. The 35-year-old also went on to appreciate the dynamic all-rounder’s toughness.

He’s one of the toughest blokes I’ve ever met: Stuart Broad

“He’s one of the toughest blokes I’ve ever met, the toughest cricketer I’ve ever met. For him to go off and not bowl… it’s obviously sore. But he’s icing it at the moment. We’ve no information on what’s happened in his side,” said Stuart Broad, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“Hopefully we give him a lot of rest tomorrow. Twelve-24 hours in cricket is quite a long time. It gives the body a lot of time to heal. We’ll wait and see. He stayed on the field so he could bat in his usual position. He’s a tough character. He’ll be out there if it’s not torn to shreds. We as England fans and teammates hope it’s not as bad as him not bowling again on this trip,” he added.

Despite his sensational numbers, the English vice-captain has had a series to forget. In the four Tests so far, he has only scored 101 runs in six innings at an average of 16.83. Moreover, with four wickets in four games, he has been mediocre with the ball as well.