Ashes 2021-22, Adelaide Test: Ben Stokes brushes aside injury fears with display of fitness in nets

Ben Stokes had a niggle in his knee during the opening 2021-22 Ashes Test in Brisbane. However, he has brushed the concerns aside ahead of Adelaide. He displayed full fitness during the net session.

English all-rounder Ben Stokes gave England a scare during the ongoing Ashes. In the opening Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, he seemingly suffered a niggle in his knees as he refrained from bowling entirely. As a result, it cast doubt on his participation in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval from Thursday that happens to be a day-night affair.

Nonetheless, that fear has been brushed away by Stokes himself. As per reports, he has been seen bowling at full pace at the nets, indicating that he had fully recovered from the niggle. Also, he apparently struck skipper Joe Root on the helmet. Therefore, concerns regarding his availability for the second Test have been significantly boosted. He is likely to retain his spot in the playing XI.

In his column for The Mirror, Stokes wrote, "People will have seen me rubbing my knee from time to time when I was in the field, but rest assured I'm fine. It is an old injury that flares up every now and again, but I know how to manage it. It just gets a little bit uncomfortable every now and again in and around my cartilage. But it just looks worse than it is, by the way. I try and get off it as soon as I can."

Stokes is coming off a long break in international cricket. While a broken finger during the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), had ruled him out for some time, he had taken an indefinite break, citing mental health issues. Although he displayed a bit of rust in the opening Test, he is expected to get back in the groove from the second.

"Having a long break is going to show itself, I guess, but there are no excuses from me. I didn't do anything whatsoever except take a catch and bowl a few no-balls, so the one positive is that I probably can't get much worse than that," he added.

England is trailing the series 0-1. However, Stokes expressed his confidence at the side bouncing back. He recalled England's excellent track record of bouncing back in his column, having done so against South Africa and Windies. He asserted that England would not panic and move into Adelaide with a clear mindset.