Ben Stokes Injury: England captain Ben Stokes dismissed worries about his knee ahead of the all important Ashes 2023 after seeming to stumble while completing a catch in their Test victory over Ireland on Saturday, June 3. Stokes tumbled after taking Curtis Campher’s catch at short fine leg, but he continued to be on the field despite his knee problems, which most recently were seen during the Indian Premier League 2023.
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“Actually I didn’t pick it [the ball] up and I landed quite awkwardly on it [the left knee]. My weight went on the inside of the knee like I hyper-extended but I bowled this morning, the first time I have bowled since being back from India, so it’s been about 4 weeks actually and I got through that and I was really happy with where I was, so nothing to worry about,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation no Saturday (June 3).
“I was really happy with how I bowled [before the start of day]. I bowled for about 20 minutes and I got through that really well. Obviously I have got time to build up before I push back into flat out, but I just landed quite awkwardly when I took that catch,” Stokes said.
“I didn’t quite see it so had to adjust myself and landed on my left leg and it twisted in a really strange way. It was fine, I just don’t know what really happened. It was one of those things – but I am 32 tomorrow so that probably explains it.”
Although England won the one-off Test rather easily, they had to bat again because Ireland put on a valiant showing with the bat in the second innings. The nature of the field, which became flatter as the game went on, showed England what to anticipate and what they needed to accomplish during the Ashes, according to Stokes, who lauded the visiting squad for their effort.
“(I) thought Ireland came out and showed grit and determination. Gives us a little insight into what we might have to do against Australia. It got flatter as it went on. Trying to take the game on in our own way allowed us to potentially bowl them out without batting again. Ireland had to get a really good score to put us under pressure. Good test and credit to Ireland today,” said Stokes.
The 5-match Ashes series against Australia will kick-start from June 16 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
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