England Test captain Ben Stokes has confirmed that he will be available for England’s Test match against Ireland at Lord’s, which will take place just four days after the IPL final.
[New Zealand], Feb 18 (ANI): Mount Maunganui On Saturday, England all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes surpassed New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum to become the player with the most sixes in Test cricket history. (Photo courtesy of ANI) (ICC Cricket)

[New Zealand], Feb 18 (ANI): Mount Maunganui On Saturday, England all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes surpassed New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum to become the player with the most sixes in Test cricket history. (Photo courtesy of ANI) (International Cricket Council)

Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain and star all-rounder, is likely to miss the latter stages of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), where he is scheduled to play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Stokes has stated that he will return to England to lead the team in a one-off Test match against Ireland before the start of the Ashes.

The Ireland Test is scheduled to begin on June 1, while the final of the 2023 IPL, according to the schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last week, will take place on May 28. This leaves only four days between the final and the Test match, and Stokes has stated that he intends to give himself enough time to prepare for both games.

“Yes, I’ll play,” Stokes said after England’s 267-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test, when asked if he would play the Ireland Test. “I’ll make sure I leave myself enough time to return and play that (Ireland) game.” Stokes’ statement is likely to be another setback for CSK, after New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson was ruled out for the season due to back surgery.

Stokes also stated that he will consult with other England Test players who are scheduled to play in the IPL to determine what they need to prepare for the Ashes, and based on that, they will either continue with their respective franchises or return to England. Other England red-ball players set to compete in the IPL include Joe Root, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran.

“I’ll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you’ve got to think about what lads want. But what if something happens in that game (Ireland) and we lose a player for the Ashes… It’s just one of those situations where you have to weigh what the individual person wants out of that week versus whether we really need to play that one. Because, obviously, I’m correct in saying that series is more important than that game against Ireland,” Stokes said.

Stokes, along with head coach Brendon McCullum, has led England to a dramatic turnaround in fortunes since taking over as Test captain. England has won ten of the eleven games they have played under Stokes. They’ve adopted a high-octane, aggressive style of play, with batters scoring at a high strike rate and Stokes making bold declarations to force a result.

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