England captain Ben Stokes says knee injury "nothing to worry about" after he does not bowl and grimaces taking a catch during one-off Test against Ireland at Lord's - watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket from Friday June 16 (9.30am on air ahead of an 11am start)
Sunday 4 June 2023 20:46, UK
England captain Ben Stokes played down concerns over his fitness ahead of The Ashes, saying his longstanding knee injury was "nothing to worry about" and that he is "definitely on course to bowl" against Australia at Edgbaston.
Stoked grimaced as he took a catch on day three of the Lord's Test against Ireland, a game England won by 10 wickets with over a day to spare for their 11th victory in 13 games.
The all-rounder did not bowl in the match but sent down some deliveries in the warm-up before Saturday's play in a potential boost for England less than two weeks out from the first Test against Australia.
On wincing after catching Ireland's Curtis Campher, Stokes said: "I landed quite awkwardly. My weight went on the inside of my knee, I hyper-extended it. It was one of those things, but I am 32 tomorrow so that probably explains it.
"I bowled this morning, the first time I have bowled since being back from [the IPL] and I was really happy with the way it was. Nothing to worry about. I'll just keep building it up now before Edgbaston. I am definitely on course to bowl in the first Test."
Stokes' knee injury limited his impact with the ball during the drawn Test series in New Zealand in February, with the skipper bowling just nine overs in two games.
He has only delivered one over since - in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings in early April - but said before the Ireland Test that hard work on his fitness out in India had given him "the best opportunity" to play a full part with the ball in the Ashes.
Sky Sports Cricket's Nasser Hussain added: "You may need to think of another all-rounder - I'm throwing the name out there of Sam Curran - but England think no, Stokes is going to play."
We saw him bowl in the morning [on Saturday] and it seemed sore, stiff and uncomfortable, and [wincing after taking a catch] is a concern.
England handed a debut to Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue at Lord's, an occasion the 25-year-old marked with a second-innings five-for.
Tongue - who had contemplated retirement while amid a 15-month spell on the sidelines with a shoulder problem between 2021 and 2022 - was often used in an enforcer role, testing Ireland's batters with short-pitched deliveries.
Speaking about the paceman, who has been named in the England squad for the first two Ashes Tests, Stokes said: "He came in and performed really well. He obviously played that third seamer role and we used him with different plans at different times.
"He bowled in longer spells and showed how versatile he can be, which is what we are looking for in a third seamer. He can bowl 90mph full and short.
"We keep it simple [for new players]. I just told him to run in and worry about what he was doing, not the rest of the stuff.
"He responded well to that. It was a special feeling for a kid to get a five-for on debut, particularly at Lord's."
England will begin their bid to regain the Ashes in Birmingham on June 16, with Stokes adding: "I think [we are ready]. There is not much more we can do.
"The new way is you get as ready as you possibly can and whatever you do, you just get yourself in the right frame of mind for the games.
"This Ireland Test was a great opportunity to get back together and we will be doing that again before The Ashes to have some fun before the series starts."
Watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket from June 16.
