Follow UsBen Stokes has fought injuries more than he has fought opposition on the cricketing field, ever since his best moment on the cricket ground, winning the ICC World Cup 2019 final game.
The England Test captain, having conquered yet another battle with injury, will be back playing red-ball cricket again when his team host Zimbabwe in a four-day Test, starting May 22 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The 33-year-old will be playing for the national side for the first time in 2025, and he seems to be in the best physical shape he has ever been.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard on all aspects of everything, from my cricket to fitness, and now I’m going to be in a position when I am back on the field to potentially be in physically the best possible shape I have been in,” the England captain said in an interaction with Sky Sports.
Having torn off his hamstring on the tour of New Zealand last winter, the all-rounder, who considers himself the fourth seamer and number six batter in the side, wants to dominate every situation.
“Training and playing are completely different. While training, you cannot replicate the intensity your body is put through in a game. But in terms of my role as a player—fourth seamer, batting at six—trying to dominate every situation I find myself in, whether I’ve got a bat or a ball in my hand, is what I want to get back doing out on the field on the biggest stage,” he said.
“I know I’ve done it before, and it’s something I’m very, very confident in myself I can do,” added Stokes, who will be looking to make the best use of the home conditions against India and earn crucial World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 points to get an early lead on the points table. England, despite hosting the first three WTC finals, have not made it to the final of even one so far.