England’s Ben Stokes shows he is ready for the Ashes

Ben Stokes backed up from claiming two wickets on the second day of England’s final warm-up match ahead of the Ashes to score 42 runs from 56 balls against England Lions in Brisbane.

By YP Sport

Published 3rd Dec 2021, 11:30 BST

Driving forward: Ben Stokes during the England intra-squad Ashes Tour match between England and the England Lions at Ian Healy Oval. Picture: Getty Images

The Lions had set a total of 226-4 at Wellington Point in Queensland, with England responding during Friday’s final day with Stokes’s contribution and 37 more from opener Rory Burns.

Chris Woakes took an early wicket for the Lions as Haseeb Hameed fell for seven, while Dawid Malan and Joe Root also departed for single-figure scores of eight and nine, respectively.

England and Australia’s preparations for the five-Test series, which begins at the Gabba on December 8, have been undermined by rain.

England’s three-day practice match last week was washed out except for 29 overs and the first day of the second warm-up against the Lions was also cancelled without a ball bowled.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.