England allrounder Stokes ‘fit and hungry’ ahead of Ashes

By The Associated Press

England allrounder Ben Stokes has declared himself “fit and hungry” to start the Ashes series against Australia. Stokes was a late addition to the squad having taken a break from cricket to mentally refresh and undergo a second operation on his fractured left index finger. England captain Joe Root has been intent on not rushing Stokes back into the team but the allrounder looks to be ready to play in the first test starting in Brisbane on Dec. 8. Stokes says in a post on Instagram “2 months ago, I couldn’t hold a bat. With 1 week to go till the first test, I’m fit and hungry for the big series down under.”