Ben Stokes comes out of mental health break to play Ashes

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been added to England squad for the Ashes. The ace cricketer had taken a break from all forms of cricket citing mental health issues. He also had a finger injury for which he recently underwent surgery which seems to have worked well. Stokes recently took to Twitter to reveal that he is feeling better, raising hopes for an Ashes return. Australia spinner Nathan Lyon had also said that he expects Stokes to return for the Ashes given the significance of the series. ECB released a statement where Stokes confirmed his availability for the Ashes. 

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"I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted. I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I'm ready for Australia," he added.

ECB Managing Director Ashley Giles revealed he had a healthy discussion with Stokes and ECB medical team about Stokes' possible return to cricket. "Following a very successful operation on his finger and several conversations over the last few weeks between Ben and I, our medical staff and his management team, Ben called me to say he was ready to return to cricket and was excited about the prospect of playing a significant role in the Ashes series," said Ashley Giles, Managing Director of England men's cricket.

The development is a massive boost for England as the Three Lions has desperately missed the services of Stokes. "Time and time again, Ben has demonstrated how important he is to the England team and having him available for the Ashes series is excellent news for all of us and, in particular, Chris (Silverwood), Joe (Root) and the rest of the players, he added.

The Ashes gets underway on December 8 in Brisbane.

Updated Squad: Joe Root (C), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood