England captain and superstar all-rounder, Ben Stokes becomes a different beast altogether when he contributes not just with the bat but also with his bowling. It has been a long time since Stokes bowled in a competitive match. The England Test captain has refrained from rolling his arm over owing to multiple trysts with injuries. Having said that, the signs look ominous for England at the moment as Ben Stokes might resume bowling as soon as the fourth Test against India in Ranchi.
Stokes seen bowling full throttle in Rajkot
Ben Stokes was spotted bowling full throttle in warm-up during the recently-concluded 3rd Test between India and England in Rajkot. The right-arm pacer is slowly amping up his training when it comes to bowling and the Three Lions' head coach Brendon McCullum remains optimistic about his skipper's return to bowling in the upcoming Ranchi Test against India.
"Well, it's good that he's actually getting into a state where he thinks he might bowl. But Ben is clever; he's really clever as well. He won't bowl unless he thinks he's legitimately able to bowl. The problem would be if he starts getting into a spell and then he can't get out of the spell. So we'll see what unfolds," McCullum was quoted as saying.
"If he does get that bit between his teeth, then let's see where the danger lies there and try and pull him away from it. But it's a good sign," he added.
Surprisingly, England captain Stokes was seen participating in bowling drills in nets, reportedly delivering overs for around 20 minutes during a practice session ahead of fourth Test against India.
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What did Ben Stokes say about his bowling?
Ben Stokes himself answered the burning question about him resuming to send down a few overs in international cricket. While Stokes didn't give a definitive answer, he confirmed that he bowled at 100% during one of the warm-up sessions in Rajkot.
"I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no," said Stokes, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"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," he added.
Talking about Stokes' Test career as a bowler, the right-arm pacer has bagged 197 wickets in 100 matches at a strike rate of 58.2 and an average of 32.07. If Stokes decides to bowl in the remaining two Tests against India, it will be a major boost to England and provide a different challenge to Indian batters.
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