Captain of England Ben Stokes speaks during a press conference in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, Tuesday July 1, 2025. AP / PTI (AP07_01_2025_000203a)
Captain of England Ben Stokes on Sunday broke his silence of his availability for the fifth and last test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, to play Thursday.Stokes said he had suffered from pain in his right biceps tendon – at the top of various other injuries – because he did not yawn 12 overs during the hard draw in India in Old Trafford.“I don’t want to eat my words, but the probability that I don’t play is very unlikely,” said Stokes.“Mentally, I’m decent. Physically, I was better.”“It was a fairly large workload so far in this series,” said the captain of England.“It was another big week in the third test at Lord’s, and the same this week. Pain is only an emotion, so it is only one of these things.“This is my biceps tendon. He had a lot of workload. It is a lot of time in doing my job. It did not get worse. I hope it will be installed and will be as good as gold for the last match.”Stokes is the main flare holder on each side in the England-Indian series with 17 counters-his most successful bowlingal return during a 12-year test career. The 140 letters he played in the series is also the highest workload of his career.“It was a big five or six weeks,” he said. “I will always give everything I can.
Survey
Will Ben Stokes play in the final test against India?
“I think everyone will be quite similar: stop it, rest and give itself the best selection. I will not hide from the fact that it was difficult, especially for the bowling unit. We like to take out our team a few days before, but we may have to take more time to give the most time as possible.“We are going in 2-1, but we want to make this last great performance. We continued to say today: a last push before a last push next week. There is still a lot of work to do in this series.”
Finally some honesty from Stokes instead of the usual PR nonsense. Respect for being upfront about his fitness rather than giving false hope to fans.
For those wondering about the injury specifics – Stokes has been managing a chronic knee issue since the Ashes. The medical team likely advised against rushing back given the World Cup coming up later this year. Its a strategic decision as much as a fitness one tbh.
This could actualy be a blessing in disguise. Give some young talent a chance to prove themselves insted of relying on the same old names. Mo Ali can step up his game in both departments if given the responsability.
Not surprised at all given how much cricket hes played recently. The body can only take so much especially at 32. Better to rest now than risk career ending injury.
So basicaly we’re going into the Oval test without our best all-rounder? Great. Just great. This series is already slipping away and now this happens. Why cant we ever have our full strength squad when it actually matters??
Oh “very improbable” he says lol. Translation: Im definitely not playing but lets keep the suspense going for the headlines. Classic Stokes drama even when hes injured 😂
People need to stop panicing. Yes Stokes is important but England has won matches without him before. The squad has depth and this is a chance for others like Brook or Duckett to step up their performence. Have some faith in the team ffs!
This is devasting news for England! Stokes is the heart and soul of this team and without him we dont stand a chance against India. Really hope the managment has a backup plan but honestly cant see anyone filling his shoes at this crucial momment.
Am I the only one who thinks this conveniently timed? India dominating and suddenly our star player cant play. Either he’s genuinely hurt or he doesnt want to be part of another embarassing loss. Either way not a good look for team moral.
“Very improbable” – so you’re saying there’s a chance? 😄 Reminds me of that Dumb and Dumber scene. Someone get Stokes a miracle ice pack and some optimism! Maybe he’ll pull a Lazarus by matchday haha