The Ashes 2023: Ben Stokes to use six-month gap to address knee issue

England Test skipper Ben Stokes volition usage a imaginable six-month interruption from cricket to person "serious conversations" astir his semipermanent left-knee problem.

The genu contented has restricted Stokes to bowling lone 38 overs successful Test cricket this year.

"It's thing I evidently privation to get sorted," said the 32-year-old.

Stokes besides confirmed helium would not reverse his determination to discontinue from one-day internationals successful bid to beryllium portion of England's World Cup defence successful October and November.

On his upcoming break, Stokes said: "That is simply a bully clip to person immoderate superior conversations with medics astir what is perchance thing I could bash to get a relation successful which I tin vessel without having to interest astir my knee.

"Those are conversations we volition beryllium capable to person successful that clip off."

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After struggling with the genu occupation connected England's circuit of New Zealand successful February, Stokes had a cortisone injection successful March and spent astir of April and May with Chennai Super Kings successful the Indian Premier League.

Though helium played lone 2 games successful the IPL, bowling conscionable 1 over, the all-rounder said earlier the commencement of England's Test summertime helium felt his genu was successful a "much amended place".

But helium has since bowled lone 29 overs successful the Ashes, and nary successful either of the 3rd oregon 4th Tests, with England rejigging their squad successful bid to see 5 bowlers arsenic good arsenic the skipper.

"The clip I spent successful India, each the effort that I enactment successful to get to wherever I was earlier the bid and it was again different frustrating happening erstwhile each the enactment you do, your assemblage tin fto you down astatine times erstwhile you don't privation it to," said Stokes.

"I'll person a amended deliberation astir what I privation to bash successful presumption of the relation that everyone is utilized to spot maine playing going forward."

England's docket aft the Ashes is wholly focussed connected white-ball cricket for the remainder of the year.

There are limited-overs matches against New Zealand and Ireland astatine the extremity of the location summertime that service arsenic mentation for the World Cup. After that tournament, determination is simply a white-ball circuit of the Caribbean successful December.

Stokes, who is owed to spell connected vacation aft the last Ashes Test astatine The Oval, is apt to beryllium retired The Hundred and each of England's white-ball matches earlier returning to hole for the 5 Tests successful India successful aboriginal 2024.

With 197 Test wickets, helium is 3 distant from joining 1 of Test cricket's astir exclusive clubs. Only Jacques Kallis and Garfield Sobers, genuine greats of the game, person done the treble of 200 wickets and 6,000 runs - Stokes has 6,318 runs.

And Stokes, who bowled off-spin successful the nets connected Wednesday, says helium wants to proceed his vocation arsenic an all-rounder, alternatively than being forced into a relation arsenic a specializer batter.

"It's thing I've done since I was a kid," helium said. "Wanting to beryllium progressive with the crippled is thing that's got the champion retired of myself.

"It has been frustrating successful the past mates of years not being capable to person the aforesaid interaction and play the aforesaid relation that I person done for the past 10 years.

"It's evidently thing I privation to beryllium capable to bash and hopefully tin get sorted."