(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] England all-rounder Ben Stokes is almost ready and raring to go, setting his eyes on the upcoming South Africa match to kickstart his World Cup journey.
Stokes did not take part in England’s first three games in the 2023 World Cup, owing to a hip injury that he sustained in the lead-up to the tournament in a gym session.
However, going by Stokes’ words, he is on the cusp of regaining full fitness and is targetting the nearing South Africa bout to mark his return in the biggest stage of them all.
“It was frustrating to pick up a minor injury just before the tournament, but I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get back to this point and make myself available for selection,” Stokes said as quoted to the BBC.
“We have had a few days off since the last game and first training session here in Mumbai. I’ll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good. I am in a good place,” he added.
England are not sitting very pretty, having lost two out of three matches with their latest defeat coming as a surprise. Afghanistan left the defending champions battered and bruised, handing them a shocking 69-run loss.
Fans now expect Stokes to lead the turnaround. But as the 32-year-old said, England would need much more than a one man show and their comeback would have to be fueled by the many match-winners they have in the squad.
“I know I am one person in a team sport. No one looks to one person in this team to inspire them or anything like that. It is not the case that if I do come in then all of a sudden we are going to do well. It is just one of those things that gets spoken about a lot but I don’t read too much into it.
“Everyone that walks out on to that field for England is a match winner and can do something individually that can win us a game. We just need to tone it down a bit on me coming back in,” Stokes stated.
Notably, England will go up against South Africa on October 21 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.