'Not going to take them lightly' - Ben Stokes ahead of one-off Zimbabwe Test

England Test captain Ben Stokes expressed satisfaction with their recent training camp in Loughborough and described it as an excellent preparation phase ahead of a historic one-off Test against Zimbabwe. He noted that although their last red-ball match was back in December, the players are confident and prepared to take the challenge as England embark on a busy season.

England face Zimbabwe in a one-off four-day Test match at Nottingham, scheduled from May 22 to 25. This begins the English summer, which will be followed by a five-match Test series against India commencing on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Stokes shared his excitement about returning to the field and added that the camp’s atmosphere was buzzing on the eve of the Test.

“Yeah, it's buzzing to be back here, obviously the day before our first day. We've been together for a while now, we had a great training camp down in Loughborough and then obviously our build-up days here, so very, very excited to get going. Last game was in December, so you can see why the lads are chomping at the bit. But yeah, everything's gone really well,” Stokes said.

I am pretty fit: Stokes

The all-rounder acknowledged that he is feeling fit and admitted that the rehabilitation period had been exhausting. He gave credit to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) medical team for their support in his recovery. Stokes expressed his excitement about returning to action and leading the team once again.

“Yeah, I mean, I think generally I've always been pretty fit. A little bit [up and down] like that maybe. But the thing with this rehab period, there's obviously the stuff that you need to do, but I made it clear to the guys who were helping me out - the medical team of ECB - that I want to get back. Anyone who's gone through a long rehab period will understand what that can be like every now and again. But yeah, very excited to get back out there and lead the team out,” Stokes added.

The left-handed batter emphasized that England will not underestimating Zimbabwe. He noted that most opponents they face will be familiar, but this will be their first-ever Test match against Zimbabwe since 2003, which adds an element of unknown.

“Oh, incredibly serious. You know, we've spoken a lot over the last couple of weeks about what we want to do as a team. You know, Zimbabwe, again, we're not taking them lightly whatsoever. We know a lot of the opposition generally when we come up against them, whereas obviously we've never played Zimbabwe in a test match,” he conceded.