#ben-stokes

#ben-stokes

Ben Stokes has sustained a significant facial injury after being struck by a cricket ball. The England Test captain posted a picture on Instagram showing his right eye heavily swollen and bruised, a graze on his cheek and lip, and a bandage stuffed in his nose. He captioned the picture: You should see the state of the cricket ball. The 34-year-old is back in England after the dismal Ashes tour, which ended with a 4-1 defeat, with question marks still hanging over his position,

A body unable to match his will, a team unable to match his ambition and, surely, a screaming sense that he made mistakes when preparing for this challenging but winnable series all adds up to a horrible seven weeks for the England captain. His personal form inevitably buckled and you have to feel a little sympathy for a man more guilty of giving too much rather than too little.

I don't think a groundsman has ever been under as much pressure as the guy here this week. Ben Stokes had a smile on his face during his final pre-match press conference of this Ashes series at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as he responded to a question about the likely nature of the pitch for the fifth Test, which starts on Sunday morning.

Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a new front row, a one-tonne scrum, a bomb squad if I'm extra good, and a solemn promise that I'll never again to subjected to a match that involves either Rassie Erasmus or Matthew Carley. Speaking of which, please don't send any more cards ...

England have doubled down on Shoaib Bashir's status as their No 1 spinner despite omitting their two-year project from the third Test in Adelaide and watching Will Jacks struggle in his place. Speaking after the close of play on day three, at which point Australia were closing in on an unassailable 3-0 series lead, England's assistant coach Jeetan Patel said Bashir had been sacrificed to prop up a struggling batting lineup.

Ben Stokes has signalled his desire to play in the 2027 Ashes at home after signing a new two-year central contract with England. Stokes will be 36 the next time England host the Ashes and, having suffered hamstring and shoulder injuries over the past 12 months, there was a school of thought that this winter's series could be his last.

Nearly six years after Jofra Archer made his Test debut, he will finally return to the team after being confirmed to replace Josh Tongue. This comes after years of injuries and limited action, with England's captain noting Archer's strong determination and passion for cricket.