Ashes 2023: "I Don’t Think It Will Make Any Difference," Ben Stokes On Australian Players Playing County Cricket Ahead Of Ashes

England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes opened up about Australian players plying their trade in county cricket ahead of the Ashes 2023. He said that it won’t affect them and make any difference. He cited the example of Steve Smith, saying that the batter could’ve got four ducks in the county but will still score 700 runs in Ashes.

Cricket’s greatest rivalry, Ashes, is just a few days away from now. England and Australia will lock horns in the five-match series against each other in the UK and it promises to be an enthralling series with both the teams being at their best in Test cricket since last one year.

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To get used to the conditions, few of the Australian players have been playing county cricket. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have spent quite a fair amount of time in the domestic circuit in England. They had good outings there as they played some crucial knocks and look fit for the big names.

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Ben Stokes said that he didn’t have any issues with Australian players playing county cricket ahead of the Ashes. He revealed that Durham’s director of cricket contacted him before signing Australian players and he welcomed that move, saying it’ll be great for our county teams. Speaking in an interview published in Daily Mail, he said:

“I’ve got absolutely no issue with it whatsoever. Marcus North (Durham director of cricket) messaged me and said: ‘Is it OK if we sign an Australian?’ and I said, ‘Mate, it’s absolutely fine. Don’t worry.’ It’s great for our game if you get international players coming over. Why would you not want superstar players representing our counties?

“When it comes to the Ashes I don’t think it will make any difference. Steve Smith could have got four ducks in a row for Sussex but we all know he could still then get 700 runs in the Ashes.”

Also Read: Ashes 2023: “I Want To Have An Impact On The Series…” – Stuart Broad Makes A Staggering Statement

Ashes 2023: “It’s been a very frustrating year,” says Ben Stokes on his knee injury

English skipper Ben Stokes has been struggling with a knee injury for a while. He hasn’t bowled in Test cricket since the series against New Zealand in 2022/23 and was even on the sidelines during the IPL 2023.

Ben Stokes called the injury frustrating and said that it’s disappointing that he isn’t able to fulfil the role of fourth seamer properly. Talking further about his injury, he said:

“It’s been a very frustrating year bowling with this knee problem and not being able to fulfill my role as fourth seamer properly. I’ve worked so hard to get to the point where, touch wood, I can bowl pain free. I’ve had a little bit of help from some cortisone injections, but everything is going nicely, and I won’t rush it because the priority is making sure I can fulfil that role as fourth seamer in the Ashes.”

It remains to be seen if he can play the role of fourth seamer in the Ashes 2023 or not.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: “It’s The Nature Of The Schedule” – Pat Cummins Defends Australia’s Lack Of Practice Games Following Criticism From Allan Border

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