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Ben Stokes declares himself fit to bowl in first Ashes Test

Ben Stokes has declared himself fit toe to feature in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

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Ben Stokes declared fit

Stoke had undergone the latest training in three days with a heavily-strapped knee. The English bowler has played since April 3 following his chronic left-knee injury diagnosis.

He had a cortisone injection before flying to India for the IPL, and his fitness status was kept under wraps by CSK for most of the tournament.

Stokes was due to bat at the start of England’s nets session on Thursday but pushed his slot back in order to bowl around four overs on a training strip on the outfield, with bowling coach David Saker watching on.

During the pre-match press conference, Stokes revealed that his physical status had been improved:

“The last three days have been very good for my confidence,” Stokes said.

“I’ve bowled every day so far and been able to run in with more intensity day by day. I’ve got myself in a real good place to be able to bowl.”

Stokes was asked if he would consider holding himself back to ensure he could still contribute with the ball toward the end of the series. “I give 100 percent of myself all the time,” he replied.

Stokes became the first man in Test history to captain a winning team without bowling a ball, facing a ball, or keeping a wicket when England beat Ireland at Lord’s earlier this month. However, he has gradually built up his bowling workload since.

While England was on a team-bonding trip to Loch Lomond in Scotland last week, Stokes posted a short Instagram video of him bowling at St Andrews University. He has continued to ramp up over the previous three days in Birmingham.