England captain Ben Stokes hints at radical change to help prolong Test career
Ben Stokes will explore options, including surgery or becoming a spin bowler post Ashes, to see how he can extend his Test career as an all rounder.
Stokes was spotted trying out his off-spinners, used before on tour against Pakistan, at the Oval, and he will seriously consider following in the footsteps of fellow all rounders Tony Greig and Garry Sobers, who bowled spin as well as seam for their team.
Stokes will have a deserved holiday at the end of this series, before deciding on the best course of action with medics that will deal with his knee injury and allow him to continue his role as skipper and all rounder on their next assignment in India in January.
“Yeah, it’s something I obviously want to get sorted,” said Stokes when asked about the possibility of an operation. “The time in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around.
“So as it’s been manageable we’ve just cracked on. But those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off. You saw me bowl spin before. I don’t know. There is probably time to think about that after the series.
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“I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee.
Ben Stokes admitted he needs to find a way to manage his injuries if he is to continue as an all-rounder“It is another frustrating thing when all the work you do, your body can let you down at times when you don’t want it to.
“I’ll have a better think around what I want to do in terms of the role that everyone is used to seeing me playing going forward.”
Unfortunately for white ball coach Matthew Mott, Stokes still refused to open the door to a return to the ODI side for their World Cup defence in India in October.
When asked about the tournament he replied simply: “I’m retired.”
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