Ben Stokes plans to find a solution to his left knee injury after the Ashes series concludes at the Oval as he aims to return to bowling duties, and with an eye on England’s trip to Australia in 2025-26, when his side will attempt to win the urn overseas for the first time since 2010-11.
Following the conclusion of this series, with the fifth Ashes Test starting on Thursday, England will not play another Test until 25 January 2024. The start of a five-game series in India will give Stokes a window of almost six months in which to – first things first – take a holiday, and then address his fitness. “It’s something I want to get sorted,” he said.
“The time in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around, so as it’s been manageable we’ve just cracked on. But I think this is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what I could potentially do [so] I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. Those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off.”
Stokes bowled 14 overs at Edgbaston in the first Ashes Test and 15 at Lord’s in the second match, by the end of which he said he felt “pretty broken”. England remodelled their side after that game to include an extra seamer, allowing Stokes to avoid bowling altogether, and proceeded to win at Headingley and dominate a rain‑abridged match at Old Trafford. They have named an unchanged side for the series finale at the Oval, but Stokes has no intention of surrendering his all-rounder status for good.
“It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid,” he said. “Wanting to be involved with the game is something that’s got the best out of myself. It’s been frustrating in the last couple of years not being able to have the same impact and play the same role that I have done for the last 10 years. So it’s something that I want to be able to do, and hopefully can get sorted – but I keep forgetting that I’m ageing every day.”
Australia take a 2-1 lead into this game, meaning England must win to draw the series and prevent the tourists winning an Ashes series on English soil for the first time since 2001. But whatever the final outcome Stokes has seen enough from his team to believe there is a chance of ending their own terrible away record when the sides next meet.
Andrew Strauss captained England to a 3-1 win in Australia in 2010‑11 but in five other visits this century they have won one game and lost 22, with two draws. “How this series has gone and how close we were, it does make you think when we go to Australia we do have a better chance than the last few times we’ve been there,” Stokes said. “It would be nice to go out there in 2025 and have a good chance of winning.”
England (confirmed): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson.
Australia (probable): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wkt), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Todd Murphy
Umpires: K Dharmasena (Sri) and J Wilson (WI) TV umpire: N Menon (Ind) Referee: R Madgalle (Sri)
For the crucial final game Stokes has kept faith with Jimmy Anderson, who turns 41 on Sunday, despite his poor returns in the series so far – in three games he has taken four wickets at an average of 76.75 and a strike rate of 171, when no other English seamer has an average above 30.2 or strike rate above 61.6.
“He’s not been bowling badly, he’s just not got the rewards he’s deserved,” Stokes said. “We know what Jimmy does. He ties an end up, even though that’s not his main priority, just because he’s so relentless with his line and lengths, and I just feel he’s been unlucky. He’s still bowled like Jimmy Anderson, he’s just not had the rewards we normally see him get.”
Meanwhile Stuart Broad is the leading wicket-taker in the series and will become the only specialist bowler to play all five games for England, thereby continuing a remarkable run – the last home Ashes Test the 37-year-old did not play was the decider at the Oval in 2005.
“He’s put in some incredible performances, and also been very good at coming on with the ball and changing the game,” Stokes said. “It was always going to be hard for one bowler to play every game but he’s been incredible.”
