Ben Stokes has revealed England captain Joe Root‘s reaction to his announcement that he was available to return to the international setup – and described it as a “great moment”.
Stokes underwent an indefinite break from cricket, starting from the end of July, to focus on his mental well-being and rest a broken finger.
He subsequently missed England’s Test series against India, and was not named in the squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup in Dubai.
The Durham all-rounder was also originally not included in the touring party for this winter’s Ashes tour to Australia. However, it was announced by the ECB on Monday that Stokes had been named in the squad, and will travel Down Under with the rest of his team-mates on November 4.
The news comes as a massive boost for England, with the 30-year-old one of their key players in all formats.
Stokes on Root reaction to availability news
Writing in his column for the Daily Mirror, Stokes revealed Test captain Root’s reaction when he told him that he would be available to return to the fold.
He wrote: “To be able to confirm to Joe Root that I would be available to join the tour from the start after my second successful surgery on my finger was a great moment. Rooty’s reaction when I told him was simply: “Oh bloody hell, that’s good.”
“He said it was great to hear me sounding so well and that is the truth of it. I feel much better about everything from my finger to my mental well-being. I know I can focus once again on playing my best cricket Down Under this winter.”
Stokes also wrote about his return to the nets following a successful second surgery on his broken finger – an injury he suffered during the Indian Premier League in April.
“As soon as I could, I was moving it the day after in physio and then I picked up a bat four days later. I couldn’t wait to get into the nets,” he explained.
“Once I was hitting balls without any pain and without thinking about the position my finger was in I thought… I’m back.”
“Looking back at the summer, playing with a finger that wasn’t getting any better and causing me huge frustration alongside everything else that was going on just added up. It gave me such a lift to be able to hold a bat again properly.”
The Ashes commences on December 8, with the first Test taking place at the famous Gabba in Brisbane.
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