I've put my body through more than it's actually been through over the last year: Ben Stokes

Leading up to The Ashes 2023, Ben Stokes’ fitness was a major talking point. The all-rounder barely played in the recently concluded Indian Premier League due to a knee injury and in the one-off Test against Ireland, the 32-year-old didn’t bowl at all, raising speculation about his fitness. However, he was in full swing in the first of the five-match Ashes series, picking up two wickets, including the crucial wicket of Usman Khawaja in the second innings.

Meanwhile, talking about his bowling, Stokes stated that it gives him a lot of joy to bowl frequently. The cricketer added, saying that he doesn’t remember the last time he was so free to bowl, and eventually said that he loves bowling long spells and in pressure situations.

“I've put my body through more than it's actually been through over the last year, which is obviously great signs for myself and another confidence boost for me. Getting through that, knowing we've still got four games coming up has given me a massive boost.

“I can't remember the last time I've sort of been able to continually bowl. I was just really happy that I was able to get a good long spell in, and I just love being in that situation. I love bowling long spells, especially when the game's on the line,” Stokes was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

You could see what it meant to Moeen Ali going out to play for England again: Stokes

Courtesy of an unfortunate injury to Jack Leach ahead of the Ashes, England skipper Ben Stokes asked Moeen Ali to join the national camp for the series, and he eventually obliged, thereby coming out of retirement. Meanwhile, even though he couldn’t impress much with the ball, Stokes believes that he did a good job for the team and will come back stronger once his injury heals.

“I told Mo (Moeen) to tell me if his finger was sore, and I'd sensed that it was even before that. For him to come back into his first Test match and operate in the way that he did and really put himself through the pain barrier for the team [was great].

“You could see what it meant to him going out to play for England again with a huge smile on his face. I selected him for his match-winning moments. He had a few of them with the ball and nearly got us over the line… (The break) gives Mo a good chance for his finger to heal up,” Stokes mentioned.