"I think he'll bowl at some stage," Brendon McCullum on Ben Stokes's availability to bowl
May 30, 2023
London [UK], May 30 : England's Test Cricket team head coach Brendon McCullum believes that the skipper of the English Test team Ben Stokes could bowl at a certain stage in the upcoming Ashes 2023 series.
Stokes service was acquired by the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore. The benefit of bringing in Stokes was due to his ability to bowl as well as bat. However, he hardly featured for the franchise as he played two matches and bowled a single over. He picked up a toe injury, and that marked his last appearance for CSK since April 3.
"He looks really fit as well, looks in great order and has a big smile on his face. He is delighted to be back around the group and as our leader, having that sort of energy he brings is fantastic so again we'll monitor that and see what happens," McCullum said as quoted by Sky Sports.
"I think he'll bowl at some stage throughout the summer, yeah, no doubt. He is a world-class all-rounder and if he is able to bowl, fantastic. If not, we'll find a way," McCullum added.
McCullum is also hopeful that England's two key bowlers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson will be fit for the first Ashes Test but has confirmed they will play no part against Ireland this week.
"Yeah we've got a couple of niggles so we're just monitoring those at the moment. I guess every team that goes into a series has got a couple of little things that you need to work through, but [I'm] pretty confident we'll have a good squad to be able to pick from," McCullum concluded.
Earlier, Pacers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been ruled out of England's one-off Test against Ireland at Lord's starting from Thursday, with both on course for returning to full fitness at the start of The Ashes from June 16 onwards.
Robinson limped during Sussex's County Championship match against Glamorgan last week, experiencing irritation in his Achilles tendon, while on the other hand, Anderson suffered a groin strain during Lancashire's match against Somerset earlier this month.
