Ben Stokes Ruled Out Of New Zealand Test Series, Likely To Make A Return With The T20 Blast

Superstar England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the upcoming home 2-Test series against New Zealand as he continues to recover from the finger injury that he sustained while fielding during Rajasthan Royals’ opening game versus Punjab Kings in the now-suspended IPL 2021.

He returned home from India and underwent surgery on the injured finger. While his surgery was successful, he would need time to completely recover. Hence, the left-handed batsman has been sidelined from the Test series versus the Kiwis, which commences on June 2 at Lord’s.

Ben Stokes likely to play The Blast after three years

England Head coach, Chris Silverwood, has hinted that Ben Stokes is likely to make his return via the T20 Blast which will run from June 9 to July 16. The all-rounder represents Durham and hasn’t played in the tournament since 2018.

“[He] is making excellent progress. If he continues to improve without any impact on his rehabilitation, we could see him return next month for Durham in the Vitality Blast competition,” Silverwood was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“It’ll be a slow return. We’re potentially looking at the T20 Blast and then a gradual build back into international cricket for him. He has started bowling again and he’s not far off hitting a few balls as well. He’s progressing nicely and on course for where we expected him to be,” he added.

Apart from Ben Stokes, speedster Jofra Archer has also been ruled out of the New Zealand Tests. Archer earlier pulled out of the IPL 2021 as he underwent an operation on the middle finger of his right hand to remove a splinter of glass following a bizarre incident involving a fish tank.

However, another elbow injury has troubled the pacer since the tour of South Africa in January last year – including when on the India tour he had to take a series of cortisone injections to go through to the T20I series.

Following his finger surgery, he made a return to the County Championship, but couldn’t bowl in the entire game as the elbow pain resurfaced. He is likely to undergo surgery on the elbow as well.

Following the Test series with New Zealand, the Three Lions will host Sri Lanka and Pakistan for white-ball matches before hosting India for a 5-Test series.

Also Read: Team India Will Be Better Prepared For WTC Final Due To Early Suspension Of IPL: Ross Taylor