Mike Hussey, the batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings, said that English all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to start the next Indian Premier League season as a specialist batter (IPL). The management has decided to do this to deal with his knee injury, which keeps coming back.
Stokes has had a lot of problems with his left knee over the years. To make matters worse, he had another flare-up in February when England went on a tour to New Zealand. During the two Tests, the Englishman was only able to bowl nine overs. On the last day of the series, he batted even though he was clearly in pain.
ESPNcricinfo says that the CSK all-rounder got a cortisone injection, which is a common anti-inflammatory injection that reduces swelling, before the IPL. He is likely to start as a specialist batter for the team. Michael Mike Hussey gave an update on the player and said Stokes might bowl in the competition “at some point.”
“From what I know, (Ben Stokes) is ready to go as a batsman right away. Wait and see about the bowling. I know that he had his first very light bowl since getting injections in his knee on Sunday. “The physios from Chennai and the ECB are working together pretty closely,” the batting coach told ESPNcricinfo.
“From what I’ve heard, he won’t bowl much in the first few games of the tournament. “I’m not sure for sure, but I hope to get him to bowl at some point in the tournament,” Hussey said.
Stokes will like how things are in Chennai: Mike Hussey
On Monday, April 3, the yellow team plays their first game at home against the Lucknow Super Giants. When MS Dhoni and the rest of the team play in Chennai after four years, the crowd is likely to go crazy. Hussey also said that Stokes will be happy with the electric atmosphere at home.
He also said that the increased excitement was because the Chepauk stands, which had been empty for a long time, would be used again in the next competition.
“The ground is incredible; there are new stands up and it’s full. The atmosphere at the first home game will be out of this world. I can’t wait, and I know that Ben Stokes will love it. That’s the thing about these big players: they tend to do their best work on a big stage. Hussey said, “I hope that when he plays at Chepauk Stadium in front of a crazy loud crowd, it will bring out the best in him.”
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