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England captain ben stokes has entered “beast mode” in its preparations for the much-awaited ash Series, he surprised his teammates with his intense training schedule and commitment despite his summer being cut short due to a recent injury.
Stokes, who has been out since the end of July due to a shoulder injury, is now expected to be fully fit to lead England first test against australiaWhich is going to start in Perth on 21st November.
Importantly, he is also expected to return to all-rounder duties after the summer Impressive Took 20 wickets in five Test matches at an average of 24.05.
opening batter ben duckett Perth expressed surprise at Stokes’ dedication since arriving and highlighted the vital role he has played in England’s ambitions to clinch the trophy for the first time since 2015.
“All I can say is we’ve been out here for a few days and he’s in beast mode,” Duckett said. willow talk podcast. “He’s running, bowling two spells, batting for two hours. The way he trains these days is something I’ve never seen before. He’s an absolute beast.”
Duckett underlined the importance of Stokes, saying, “He’s probably the most important guy in this team when he bowls, so hopefully he’ll be fit for all five Tests and he’s bowling in all of them, because he’s important for us.”
In the build-up to this much-hyped series the focus has largely been on how England’s aggressive “baseball” approach has been under the leadership of Stokes and the head coach. Brendon McCullumwill perform in Australia, a country where the tourists have not achieved a series win since 2010–11.
While the England team’s approach, often featuring aggressive batting, has polarized opinion, Duckett said the team demonstrated over the summer that their methods were becoming more sophisticated.
“Where we’re trying to go now is not just the entertaining and sometimes reckless side,” he explained.
“I’ve been disappointed with myself in the past, where I might have got 80 out of 60, and it feels great, and it will put us in a good position, but it won’t win us Test matches. It’s about realizing the moments, then going on and getting a big score.”
Duckett is one of 11 players in England’s 16-strong squad who have not played a single Test in Australia and the left-handed batsman believes this new approach could be an advantage.
“We’ve got a fairly new group that doesn’t carry a lot of the burden, so I think that will help us,” he said.
England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick was similarly upbeat about his team’s prospects, telling Sky Sports: “We have full confidence in our team and what we have to throw at Australia. We’re coming here with a team we’re very happy with and we’re very happy with the preparations we’ve had.”