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Ben Stokes undergoes surgery on injured finger, Ashes participation unlikely

Ace England all-rounder Ben Stokes has undergone a second surgery on his index finger.

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Sam Abraham
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Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes ( Image Credit: Twitter)

Ace England all-rounder Ben Stokes has undergone a second surgery on his index finger. The southpaw had injured his finger during the first leg of the Indian Premier League and missed few weeks of action due to the same. He returned to play in the T20 Blast for Sussex but was not selected in England squad for Pakistan series. However, ECB had to recall him to lead England in the ODI series against Pakistan after several members of the England contingent tested positive for COVID-19. Soon after, Stokes made a shocking announcement and took an indefinite break from all forms of cricket citing mental health issues.

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However, speculations were rife that Stokes may return for the Ashes given the magnitude of the series. However, his participation in the series is more than unlikely now given the recent surgery. Stokes will undergo rehabilitation for four weeks under England Cricket Board’s medical team.

“Leeds based consultant Doug Campbell, who also performed the first surgery back in April, took the screws out of Stokes’ healed finger on Monday and resolved the scar tissue that had been causing the agonizing pain around his tendons and ligaments,” Daily Mirror reported.

Meanwhile, in a sigh of relief for the cricket fanatics, the Ashes in all possibilities is likely to go ahead as planned. The series was in jeopardy after senior England players expressed their reservations on playing the series under strict COVID-19 restrictions. However, CA recently sent a proposal detailing the terms of the series and if reports are to be believed, the restrictions are not as rigid as expected and players have given their consent on travelling to Australia for the series.

Reports further state that families of the players will be allowed on the tour and will stay at the Yarra Valley resort. Currently, anyone entering Australia has to serve 14 days in quarantine but that number is also expected to reduce to 7. The Ashes get underway in Brisbane on December 8.

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