Durham’s head coach, Ryan Campbell, says the England captain, Ben Stokes, will be ready for the Ashes in Australia later this year after returning to training following a shoulder injury but cast doubt on whether he could lead the team in all five Tests.
The 34-year-old sustained the problem during the draw against India at Old Trafford in July, causing him to miss the fifth and final Test at The Oval. He had been expected to be out for around six or seven weeks.
He has now returned to batting in the nets with his county side and with the first Ashes Test beginning in Perth on 21 November, Campbell was confident the all-rounder would be available.
“Stokes is back in training,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Over the last week, he’s started to hit balls and had a really good session. Scott Borthwick was throwing to him with [the coach] Will Gidman for nearly two hours.
“The batting side of things is going very well but the bowling will take a lot longer. He is being treated very steadily.”
Campbell predicted it would take an ever-present Stokes in Australia if England were to be victorious in the Ashes series. However, the former Australia wicketkeeper had reservations over whether fitness issues would allow it.
“The guy is so good because he makes your batting lineup deep and is a genuine force as a third or fourth seamer,” he said. “He is going to bowl so many overs and can get you wickets.
“The way he goes about his work to recover just blows me away. It’s why he is one of the greatest all-rounders that’s ever been and it’s why he will be ready for Australia. He will leave no stones unturned, but can he play five Tests in a row with the workload he has? He will try, but I am not 100 per cent sure.”
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Campbell also confirmed the fast bowler Mark Wood was close to making his Durham return after having surgery on a knee injury. He added: “If that happens, it’s not only great for Durham but also for England. He is extremely close to playing.”
