Cricket all-rounder Ben Stokes will join up with the England squad for the 2021/22 Ashes Test series in Australia, according to The Mirror.
The 30-year-old has been given the all-clear by specialists and the England and Wales Cricket Board after a second operation on a fractured finger.
Stokes withdrew from the England squad in August for the test series against India after he fractured his left index finger while playing in the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals in April.
The talisman who led England to World Cup glory in 2019 also took the time to focus on his mental wellbeing, coming after the loss of his father Ged in December of last year.
The Durham player will travel to Australia alongside the Test specialists and the supplementary Lions group on 4 November.
Stokes said: “I’m buzzing for the Ashes. Just buzzing.
“To be able to confirm to [England captain] Joe Root that I would be available to join the tour from the start was a great moment.
“I feel much better about everything from my finger to my mental well-being and can focus on playing my best cricket.
“I had been struggling with bubble life and events off the field. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did, because I wasn’t in a good place and I’m not afraid to admit it.
“I was in a real dark place and having some difficult thoughts, but now I realise talking is such a powerful thing and it has completely changed me.”
Image source: Sky News
