England coach Brendon McCullum says he’s not frightened that Ben Stokes’ participation within the Indian Premier League (IPL) will jeopardize the captain’s participation on this yr’s Ashes sequence.
A knee downside has troubled Stokes for a very long time and he has come beneath strain from some quarters to relaxation the joint and skip his profitable stint with the Chennai Super Kings within the IPL from the top of the month.
McCullum, nonetheless, mentioned the all-rounder had made a profession being on prime on the large events and the Ashes sequence in opposition to Australia in June and July can be no completely different.
“I… imagine The Ashes is the script the captain has been ready to jot down, so that will be candy. I’m not frightened.
“I do not suppose he’s jeopardizing it. I do know the set-up in Chennai, I performed for that franchise, and it’s glorious at taking good care of gamers.
“He is aware of the best way to be proper for the large moments. That’s his life, is not it? When he comes again into the group and leads us into the Ashes marketing campaign, he’ll have a bit between his enamel and I believe we Everything will likely be advantageous.
Stokes has already mentioned that he’ll depart the IPL early to arrange for the one-off Test in opposition to Ireland at Lord’s on June 1 and the primary Ashes Test beginning June 16 at Edgbaston.
McCullum and Stokes led England to 10 wins in 12 Tests earlier final yr, primarily based on an entertaining model of play dubbed “buzzball” after the coach’s nickname.
The second defeat got here on Tuesday in essentially the most dramatic of circumstances as New Zealand received by one run and have become solely the fourth group to win a Test after being requested to comply with on.
A merely unbelievable Test match.
Highlights of the ultimate day: New Zealand win by only one run
– England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 1, 2023
McCullum, like Stokes, was unapologetic in regards to the resolution to implement the follow-on and mentioned it was unlikely to vary a lot in the best way England approached the sport.
“I think there must be millions of people around the world who sat back and enjoyed that Test match,” he mentioned.
“Now we actually have the chance… our focus goes to be a very great time in individuals’s lives – the Ashes sequence at residence in opposition to a superb Australian group.
“We’ll go into it with numerous confidence. We know it is not going to be straightforward, however I’m fairly positive we’ll play the type of cricket we have performed during the last eight or 9 months. And eight or 9 months of creating that model With the month beneath our belt, we must be laborious to beat.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
