Image Credit- AP
English skipper Ben Stokes is close to resuming his
workload as a bowler in what could turn out to be a huge shot in the arm for
the English side ahead of the remaining two Test matches.
Stokes, who last bowled in bits and pieces in the
Ashes in England, has not bowled a single ball in the three test matches that
have been played so far as he felt he was still not ready to resume bowling
duties after successful surgery of his chronic left knee in October. However,
in the last two tests, he has been spotted rolling his arm in the net sessions
in spurts. In the third test at Rajkot, the duration of his bowling stint in
the nets increased, eventually bowling with his full run-up after beginning
with a short run-up to get rhythm.
The potential availability of Stokes as an added
bowling option could be just what the doctor ordered for the English side who
were forced to lick their wounds after a proper trouncing in Rajkot. While Joe
Root has gamely taken on the responsibility of the bowling all-rounder so far,
Ben Stokes would provide much more incisiveness and depth to this England
bowling attack, who were made to look every bit the inexperienced campaigners
by a re-energized Indian batting line-up.
When asked about his potential comeback with the ball,
Stokes added a little more fuel to the fire by saying, “”I’m not saying
yes, I’m not saying no. Me being me, I’m always very optimistic about most
things. That will be a more detailed chat with the medical team about what
workload I have done to pass me off as not being a massive risk.
“I managed to bowl at 100% in one of the warm-up
days here which made me feel pretty good. I felt like I could have bowled in
the game but that would have been stupid.”
Stokes currently sits on 197 test scalps at an average
of 32.07 and could potentially reach 200 Test wickets if he does opt to bowl.
His proficiency to reverse the ball and also bowl long spells allows England to
play 4 spinners and 2 pacers.
“We’ve got
two really good options on the sideline as well with Ollie Robinson and Gus
Atkinson,” McCullum said. “So we’ve got a really good squad to pick
from. We just need to work out when we get there what conditions we’re going to
be confronted with and see the health of the army, and then make a decision on
what we go with