Ashes 2023: "Seven Days Is Actually Quite A Long Time To Give Everyone A Good Rest" - Ben Stokes Feels Break Will Help Bowlers

England skipper Ben Stokes hoped that a seven-day break would help their bowlers recover for the second Test of the ongoing Ashes series against Australia. Ben Stokes stated that the team management will make the final call on their playing XI for the next Test after assessing the bowlers’ progress.

The Ben Stokes-led team conceded a 1-0 lead to Australia in the Ashes after losing the first match by two wickets at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday, June 20. England will take on the Pat Cummins-led team in the second Test of the five-match series at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London starting on June 28.

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Speaking after the loss against Australia in the first Test, Ben Stokes said that the players would rejoin after three to four days.

“Seven days is actually quite a long time to give everyone a good rest. We’ll meet up again in three or four days’ time I think, and we’ll assess how everyone’s going and we’ll have to make a decision from there,” Ben Stokes said.

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Nearly Got Us Over The Line – Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes lauded Moeen Ali’s effort and dedication in his first Test match after two years and hoped that the off-spinner could recover before the next match.

“I told Mo to tell me if his finger was sore, and I’d sensed that it was even before that. For him to come back into his first Test match and operate in the way that he did and really put himself through the pain barrier for the team [was great],” Stokes said.

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“You could see what it meant to him going out to play for England again with a huge smile on his face. I selected him for his match-winning moments. He had a few of them with the ball and nearly got us over the line… [The break] gives Mo a good chance for his finger to heal up,” he added.

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Moeen Ali struggled to grip the ball with his spinning finger and only bowled seven overs on the final day of the match. Joe Root was used as a spin bowler, as he bowled 15 overs in Australia’s second innings.

England can pick One of Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, or Will Jacks as cover for Moeen for the second Test match. The England team might consider playing with four spinners in their attack at Lord’s.

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