England Test captain Ben Stokes has urged players to push their case for an International call-up in the County Championship, calling it a “great opportunity”.
Stokes is poised to miss the first month of the County Championship season with Durham as he continues to recover from facial surgery.
England were thumped 4-1 by Australia in The Ashes over the winter but 34-year-old Stokes remains adamant the talent at disposal for places in the Test XI is “unquestionable”.
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Despite losing the Ashes comprehensively, Ben Stokes said he was determined to remain as England captain
England’s first Test series of the summer is against New Zealand, with the first match at Lord’s from 4 June, followed by a three-Test contest against Pakistan beginning on August 19.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of people around the country,” said Stokes.
“Obviously, we had the Lions in Australia at the same time as we were, so you look at some of the players that are coming through that system at the moment.
“The talent that we have in England is just unquestionable. The pool of players, the talent that we have, it’s probably as good as it’s been in a very long time.
“The first six or seven weeks of Championship cricket I think it’s going to be a very big one and people should use that as an opportunity to push their case as far forward as they possibly can and I hope they’re giving themselves the best chance of coming up for selection when we get together to do that.”
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When will Stokes return to action?
Stokes was struck by a ball in the nets at Chester-le-Street in February
Stokes suffered a broken cheekbone as well as gruesome cuts and bruising after being struck by a ball in the nets at Chester-le-Street in February.
He deemed his operation a success but his hopes of playing in Durham’s Division Two opener at home to Kent from Good Friday have been dashed.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell said his side are waiting for specialists to clear Stokes, who also seems set to sit out games versus Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Middlesex.
The all-rounder could then return for fixtures against Worcestershire and Kent in May ahead of England’s first Test against New Zealand.
Stokes plans to play for his county in the One-Day Cup this summer having opted out of The Hundred.
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Jos Buttler is backing Stokes to take England to No 1 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 featured in the competition for Durham since 2014.
Stokes averaged just 18.40 with the bat in The Ashes over the winter, while he suffered a groin injury in the final Test and has not played since.
He was retained as skipper after the dismal tour of Australia, while coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key have also been kept on in their roles.
Stokes said in an Instagram post that the results and fallout had made for “the hardest period of my captaincy journey.”
Watch England’s home international summer live on Sky Sports, starting with a three-Test series against New Zealand from June 4. Not got Sky? Stream cricket contract-free on NOW.
