The Ashes 2023: Ben Stokes has confidence he can bowl for England against Australia

England skipper Ben Stokes says helium has "real confidence" helium tin play his portion arsenic a bowler successful the archetypal Ashes Test against Australia astatine Edgbaston.

But the all-rounder has bowled a spell successful signifier connected each of 3 days starring up to Friday's bid opener.

"I've tally successful with much strength time by day. I'm successful a truly bully presumption to beryllium capable to bowl," said Stokes.

Stokes, 32, did not vessel successful England's triumph implicit Ireland astatine the opening of the period and, anterior to that, sent down lone 1 implicit during his spell with Chennai Super Kings astatine the Indian Premier League successful April and May.

The wounded appeared astatine its astir terrible successful England's decision by New Zealand successful Wellington successful February, erstwhile helium bowled conscionable 2 overs successful the archetypal innings and not astatine each successful the second.

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But Stokes, with his genu heavy strapped, bowled for betwixt 20-30 minutes connected Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday astatine Edgbaston, spells of astir 5 overs.

His quality to vessel is apt to beryllium important connected what is acceptable to beryllium a precise level transportation and with England having to see off-spinner Moeen Ali for his archetypal Test for astir 2 years pursuing an wounded to Jack Leach.

"I decidedly consciousness successful a amended spot than I did successful Wellington," said Stokes. "What I person done successful the past 3 days - bowling 3 spells - has been a existent assurance boost for me."

Doubts implicit the magnitude Stokes is capable to vessel are a contributing origin in the enactment of Stuart Broad up of Mark Wood to articulation James Anderson and Ollie Robinson successful the seam attack.

Whereas Wood offers precocious pace, helium would person lone been capable to vessel abbreviated spells and has his ain humanities fittingness issues.

Broad, 36, is England's all-time starring wicket-taker successful Ashes cricket and has a superb grounds against Australia opener David Warner, whom helium dismissed 7 times successful the aforesaid bid 4 years ago.

And Stokes admitted helium would beryllium "lying" if helium did not admit Broad's clasp implicit Warner was not a crushed for the selection.

"Broady's grounds against Australia is unthinkable and it's precise hard to look past idiosyncratic similar that, successful the opening crippled of the series," helium said.

"I'm precise blessed with the squad we've ended up picking."

Moeen, 35, retired from Test cricket successful September 2021 and has not played a first-class lucifer since.

But helium was messaged by Stokes aft Leach suffered a accent fracture successful his backmost and the Warwickshire antheral volition marque his Test instrumentality connected his location ground.

"Mo is the beingness and psyche of each dressing country helium comes into," Stokes told BBC Sport. "It is fantastic to person him back.

"I had to deliberation hard astir who we would regenerate Leachy with. A subordinate similar Mo, who I person seen enactment successful immoderate unbelievable match-winning performances, albeit a agelong clip ago, was thing I couldn't look past.

"That was a tummy and a bosom feeling, alternatively than my brain. Generally, I person stuck with my bosom and my gut passim my captaincy truthful far."

England person not won an Ashes bid since 2015 and person not held the urn since relinquishing it to Australia down nether successful 2017-18.

They were beaten 4-0 distant 18 months ago, but are riding the question of 11 wins successful 13 Tests since Stokes took implicit arsenic captain.

The imaginable of England investigating their swashbuckling benignant of play against an Australian broadside that was crowned Test satellite champions arsenic precocious arsenic Sunday has created levels of anticipation not matched since England's epic bid triumph successful 2005.

"Every time that we borderline person to the commencement of the series, we are wishing it starts time and present that time is yet here," said Stokes.

"What we person done implicit the past twelvemonth is amusement however we privation to play. We person recovered a mode to get the champion retired of the squad and the individuals.

"We get asked a batch if we are going to proceed to play this mode against this absorption oregon that absorption and we person made it wide that this is however England play their cricket against immoderate opposition, due to the fact that it's worked much than not.

"There's nary question astir however we are going to spell retired and play our cricket, adjacent though it's against Australia."