England all-rounder Ben Stokes has come forward to ally apprehensions about his fitness leading up to the second Ashes Test starting December 16 in Adelaide.
He was seen hobbling after running hard and diving to stop a shot of David Warner’s bat to go beyond the boundary line on the second day of the first Ashes Test played at the Gabba.
Stokes said that the injury that appeared to trouble him in the Gabba Test was just a reflection of a stiff body due to prolonged absence from the game. He said that the injury is an old one and he has learnt to manage it by himself.
"Having a long break is going to show itself I guess, but there are no excuses from me. People will have seen me rubbing my knee from time to time when I was in the field, but rest assured I'm fine,” Stokes wrote in his column for The Mirror.
"It is an old injury that flares up every now and again, but I know how to manage it. It just gets a little bit uncomfortable every now and again in and around my cartilage, but it just looks worse than it is by the way I try and get off it as soon as I can."
Stokes’ had an action-packed return to the action as he almost dismissed David Warner halfway through his powerful innings of 94 but only to be left frustrated by a no-ball call. The injury concerns surrounding Stokes would be the last thing England would be hoping to address before they take on the hosts in the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide.