<p>England have been handed a major boost on the eve of the first Ashes Test as they get ready for the high-voltage set clash against Australia starting on Friday, June 16. Skipper Ben Stokes has declared himself fit to bowl&nbsp;for the clash which could aid England’s chances of winning their first Ashes since 2015. The opening clash between the two sides will take place at the iconic Edgbaston in Birmingham which will see Stokes take charge of the side for the first time in the age-old rivalry.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">That day at <a href="https://twitter.com/TrentBridge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrentBridge</a>... 🤯<br />
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<h2><strong>Stokes declares himself fit</strong></h2>

<p>"The last three days have been really good for my confidence," Stokes said at his pre-match press conference.</p>

<p>"I've bowled every day so far and been able to run in with more intensity day by day. I've got myself in a real good place to be able to bowl."</p>

<p>England are in the final stage of their preparations for the Ashes which has seen big names return to side in the form of Ollie Robinson and James Anderson. The duo missed the only Test match against Ireland at the start of the month but will now take their place in the team. While Stokes could still bowl, the management will make sure he is not over-utilised as there are four more Test matches still to be played in the Ashes.</p>

<p>"David Saker has come in and mentioned something to me last week in Scotland, saying, 'If you're still bowling by the fourth or fifth Test, we've done something right.'</p>

<p>"I definitely feel in a better place than I did in Wellington and even before that. Obviously every time I am out on the field, that [bowling an important spell] is what I want to do, but my body was stopping me from doing that,” added Stokes.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ashes-2023-1st-test-england-vs-australia-preview-and-result-prediction-604796">Ashes 2023, 1st Test, England vs Australia - Preview and Result Prediction</a></p>

<h2><strong>Stokes ready for impact?</strong></h2>

<p>Stokes has been consistently struggling with injuries which saw him miss the majority of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He left the IPL camp of Championship winning side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) early to prepare for the Ashes. Interestingly despite playing in the only Test against Ireland, he did not had to stretch his muscle and ended up winning the contest without batting bowling, or keeping gloves.</p>

<p>On the flip side, England have started playing mind games as they announced their Playing XI for the first Test on Wednesday, June 14. Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad both have been included in the team while Mark Wood has missed out on a place in the Playing XI.</p>

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England have been handed a major boost on the eve of the first Ashes Test as they get ready for the high-voltage set clash against Australia starting on Friday, June 16.

England have been handed a major boost on the eve of the first Ashes Test as they get ready for the high-voltage set clash against Australia starting on Friday, June 16. Skipper Ben Stokes has declared himself fit to bowl for the clash which could aid England’s chances of winning their first Ashes since 2015. The opening clash between the two sides will take place at the iconic Edgbaston in Birmingham which will see Stokes take charge of the side for the first time in the age-old rivalry. That day at @TrentBridge... 🤯 💥 Watch Red Ball Revolution NOW! 🔴 Our Year of Rock and Roll Cricket! 🎸 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 14, 2023 × Stokes declares himself fit "The last three days have been really good for my confidence," Stokes said at his pre-match press conference. "I've bowled every day so far and been able to run in with more intensity day by day. I've got myself in a real good place to be able to bowl." England are in the final stage of their preparations for the Ashes which has seen big names return to side in the form of Ollie Robinson and James Anderson. The duo missed the only Test match against Ireland at the start of the month but will now take their place in the team. While Stokes could still bowl, the management will make sure he is not over-utilised as there are four more Test matches still to be played in the Ashes. "David Saker has come in and mentioned something to me last week in Scotland, saying, 'If you're still bowling by the fourth or fifth Test, we've done something right.' "I definitely feel in a better place than I did in Wellington and even before that. Obviously every time I am out on the field, that [bowling an important spell] is what I want to do, but my body was stopping me from doing that,” added Stokes. ALSO READ | Ashes 2023, 1st Test, England vs Australia - Preview and Result Prediction Stokes ready for impact? Stokes has been consistently struggling with injuries which saw him miss the majority of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He left the IPL camp of Championship winning side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) early to prepare for the Ashes. Interestingly despite playing in the only Test against Ireland, he did not had to stretch his muscle and ended up winning the contest without batting bowling, or keeping gloves. On the flip side, England have started playing mind games as they announced their Playing XI for the first Test on Wednesday, June 14. Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad both have been included in the team while Mark Wood has missed out on a place in the Playing XI. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ashes 2023: Big News for England as skipper Ben Stokes declares himself fit to bowl against Aussies

<p class="MsoNormal">Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in what has been termed as a finger injury.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Stokes sustained the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ opening match against Punjab Kings on Monday while taking a catch to get the wicket of Chris Gayle. After dropping a catch earlier in the match against PBKS, Stokes ran hard from long-on and dived forward in a bid to complete the catch to dismiss Gayle. However, he immediately felt discomfort in his left hand. <o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">However, the all-rounder continued to play the match and even came to open the ball but ended up with a three-ball duck. Rajasthan Royals fell five-run short in their 222-run chase.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kevin-pietersen-names-his-dark-horses-to-win-ipl-2021-377350" hreflang="en">Kevin Pietersen names his 'dark horses' to win IPL 2021</a></strong></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">According to Independent, Stokes will remain in India for a week and talks have started between the ECB and Rajasthan Royals on managing the injury. Stokes will have an X-Ray in India on Thursday to know how much damage he has taken before the ECB take over the planning of the recovery.</p>

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Official statement by Rajasthan Royals on Ben Stokes:</h2>

<p><em>Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding during the team's match against Punjab Kings on 12 April 2021 in Mumbai. Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a broken finger, which will unfortunately rule him out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021 season.</em></p>

<p><em>Everyone at Rajasthan Royals absolutely admires Ben for being such a huge asset and a valuable member of the Royals family, both on and off the field, and wishes him a speedy recovery. We are delighted that Ben would like to stay with the group to provide his valued support and inputs off the field. In the meantime, we will be reviewing potential replacement options for the remainder of the season.</em></p>

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<p>ECB would be scratching their heads over the fitness of ace all-rounder before a jam-packed nine months to follow. After playing New Zealand, England will host five Tests against India and will then proceed for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Stokes is key to England’s team across formats and the injury will come as a huge blow to the reigning 50-over world champions.<o:p></o:p></p>

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Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in what has been termed as a finger injury.

Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in what has been termed as a finger injury. Stokes sustained the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ opening match against Punjab Kings on Monday while taking a catch to get the wicket of Chris Gayle. After dropping a catch earlier in the match against PBKS, Stokes ran hard from long-on and dived forward in a bid to complete the catch to dismiss Gayle. However, he immediately felt discomfort in his left hand. However, the all-rounder continued to play the match and even came to open the ball but ended up with a three-ball duck. Rajasthan Royals fell five-run short in their 222-run chase. ALSO READ: Kevin Pietersen names his 'dark horses' to win IPL 2021 According to Independent, Stokes will remain in India for a week and talks have started between the ECB and Rajasthan Royals on managing the injury. Stokes will have an X-Ray in India on Thursday to know how much damage he has taken before the ECB take over the planning of the recovery. Official statement by Rajasthan Royals on Ben Stokes: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding during the team's match against Punjab Kings on 12 April 2021 in Mumbai. Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a broken finger, which will unfortunately rule him out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021 season. Everyone at Rajasthan Royals absolutely admires Ben for being such a huge asset and a valuable member of the Royals family, both on and off the field, and wishes him a speedy recovery. We are delighted that Ben would like to stay with the group to provide his valued support and inputs off the field. In the meantime, we will be reviewing potential replacement options for the remainder of the season. × ECB would be scratching their heads over the fitness of ace all-rounder before a jam-packed nine months to follow. After playing New Zealand, England will host five Tests against India and will then proceed for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Stokes is key to England’s team across formats and the injury will come as a huge blow to the reigning 50-over world champions.

Ben Stokes ruled out of IPL 2021 with a finger injury

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Ashes 2023: Big News for England as skipper Ben Stokes declares himself fit to bowl against Aussies

Ben Stokes ruled out of IPL 2021 with a finger injury