That Would Be Pretty Devastating: Ben Stokes On The Prospect Of England Test Players Missing The Hundred
Published - 13 Jul 2021, 12:24 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 05:11 PM
Superstar England all-rounder Ben Stokes has admitted that it would be ‘pretty devastating’ if the Test cricketers are ruled out of the inaugural season of the Hundred in a likely situation where they may be forced to remain in a biosecure bubble ahead of the five-match Test series against India, starting August 04.
With a steady increase in Covid cases in the United Kingdom in the past few days, there is a growing possibility that the England and Wales Cricket Board may end up putting the Joe Root-led Test squad as a safety measure before the high profile series.
Recently, a county championship fixture between Derbyshire and Essex was called off after an unnamed Derbyshire player tested positive for the Wuhan virus. Even the Kent County team had to play a second-fiddle batting unit following an outbreak in their camp.
If the ECB does decide to place the England squad in bio-secure bubbles, then it will be a huge blow for the eight Hundred franchises, who are banking on the star power of the high-profile English cricketers in the augural season of the competitions, something Ben Stokes has acknowledged.
‘’It would be very frustrating to not be able to participate in The Hundred. It’s a massive event for England and we want to be part of it. We know how big a role players play in making a franchise competition big, and if the Test players were unable to play in it because of Covid,” said Ben Stokes as quoted by Cricinfo.
‘It would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised how easily we have done it’- Ben Stokes on England’s dominant display against Pakistan
Stokes is leading a second-fiddle squad after the first-choice players including regular skipper Eoin Morgan were forced to isolate due to seven members of the home contingent testing positive for coronavirus.
England, however, hasn’t missed their first-choice players one bit as the likes of Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory, Zak Crawley, Mark Parkinson, and others have stepped up to help the home side thrash Pakistan in the first couple of ODIs to seal the three-match series.
Such has been the dominance of England’s fringe team that even Ben Stokes has admitted that he never thought that they would be able to beat a full-strength Pakistan side in the manner that they have.
”When I got sent through the squad, even though it was a last-minute thing, I thought it was strong and talented, and I knew we’d be able to compete against Pakistan. But it would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised how easily we have done it,” admitted Stokes.
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