England Test captain Ben Stokes has urged his players to push for their captaincy for an international call-up in the County Championship, saying it is a “great opportunity”.
Stokes is prepared to miss the first month of the County Championship season with Durham. As he continues to recover from facial surgery.
uk They lost 4-1 to Australia in The Ashes last winter. But Stokes, 34, was adamant that there was “no doubt” he had the talent to feature in the Test XI.
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Ben Stokes says he is determined to remain England captain despite the complete Ashes loss.
England’s first Test series of the summer is against New Zealand, with the first match being played at Lord’s on June 4, followed by a three-Test match against Pakistan from August 19.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of people across the country,” Stokes said.
“Obviously the Lions were in Australia at the same time as us, so look at the players that are coming through that system now.
“There is no doubt about the talent we have in England. The pool of players we have, the talent, is probably as good as it has been for a very long time.
“I think the first six or seven weeks of Championship cricket are going to be very big and people need to use this as an opportunity to get as far as they can and hopefully give themselves the best chance of starting when we come together.”
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Australian cricket writer Adam Collins joins the Sunday Supplement panel to discuss whether Brendon McCullum is building the right culture for England to progress.
When will Stokes return?
Stokes was hit by a ball in the net at Chester-le-Street in February.
Stokes suffered a broken cheekbone and horrific cuts and bruises after being hit by a ball in the net at Chester-le-Street in February.
He thought his operation was a success, but his hopes of playing in Durham’s Division Two opener at home to Kent from Good Friday have been dashed.
Durham manager Ryan Campbell said his side were waiting for experts to remove Stokes, who is unlikely to feature for the games against Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Middlesex.
The all-rounder could return for the matches against Worcestershire and Kent in May ahead of the first Test against New Zealand.
Stokes plans to play for his county in the One-Day Cup this summer after leaving The Hundred.
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Jos Buttler is backing Stokes to take England to the top spot in Test Cricket despite their poor performance in the Ashes.
He has not played in the 50-over format since the 2023 World Cup in India and has not played in the Durham tournament since 2014.
Stokes averaged 18.40 with the bat in The Ashes over the winter, but suffered a groin injury in the final Test and has not played a match since.
He retained his position as skipper following the tour of Australia, while coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key also retained their roles.
Stokes said in an Instagram post that the result and fallout had made it “the most difficult period of my captaincy journey”.
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