Cricket: Ben Stokes must play in the Ashes First Test in Gabba, Hussain says

There is no doubt that England will have to take care of Ben Stokes during this Ashes, but as long as he goes through his mental and physical tests, he will have to play in Gabba next week.

A away Ashes is more demanding in cricket than anything else due to circumstances, resistance, crowd and travel. And Covid constraints have added an extra element. If you are not completely ready to fight, Australia is not the place to be.

Coach Chris Silverwood and England manager Ashley Giles have said they will not rush back to Ben. That is the right approach. They must show a duty of care to someone who has not played since July because of a broken finger and protect his or her mental well-being.

Nasser Hussain hopes Ben Stokes will be selected for the first Ashes test in Brisbane

But in an iconic series where you need your toughest characters and a cricketer who can make it to the Australians, Stokes is a must-have choice in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Just look at players who have been successful against Australia. Ian Botham, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and, let’s not forget, Stokes themselves so famously at Headingley in the Last Ashes. They never took a step back. So Joe Root desperately wants to get Stokes on his side in Gabba.

Root has If Buttler on one side and on the other he wants his talisman figure, a man who constantly urges him to choose an aggressive option. That man is Stokes.

Root can be conservative, and yes, there will be times when he has to “sit down” against Australia. But England’s attitude will change when Stokes is close.

Chris Silverwood (pictured) and Ashley Giles said they would not rush Stokes back into action

It’s hard to imagine that Root wouldn’t have gone on a running hunt against New Zealand in the Lord last summer if Ben had been there. I’m sure Stokes would have said, “Skip, let’s see this at least.”

I hit Stokes at six in Gabba. I always find it a little weird that the beats come after the all-rounder, so the time has come for Ollie Pope or Jonny Bairstow to beat after five, Stokes and then Buttler.

And if he doesn’t play now, when will Stokes get to the nick? They play all five Ashes Tests in a row and have no other warm-up options. It may take him a while to get back to the beat, so it’s not going to be easy. The faster he starts playing, the faster he gets up and running.

England must be very careful when limiting extra Stokes bowls.

It can be hard because whatever Stokes does, he does it to the fullest. So Root and Silverwood have to be very strict, talk to the doctors and Stokes themselves. If that means limiting him to 10 rounds a day, so be it.

This boy has missed so much cricket, and the rain in Queensland means he hasn’t even gotten much time in two warm-up games.

Stokes has missed a lot of cricket and hasn’t had much time in two warm-up games

Much of the punching is a mental challenge, but bowling is largely physical, and we know Ben doesn’t lighten the workload. The last thing we need is that he’s going to Gabba on the 15th and his body is snapping.

Indoor training is not the same thing – and it involves almost all bowling preparation.

Stokes must be England’s Fifth Bowler and cannot repeat the two-hour period he did at Headingley in 2019 on his second last day against Australia.

It has been suggested that Stokes would not take his place in the slip guard to protect that left forefinger, and if that is the case, it is a blow because they have missed him as much for his slip as anything else.

Ben is a great catcher, so maybe he can still stand against slipping, but only he knows if this finger is strong enough to withstand sharp jerks.

He suffered an injury while trying to get caught outside during the IPL, and he could just as easily hurt it again in the deep as in the slips. You can’t wrap anyone completely in cotton. There is always a risk in cricket.

Hussain says England should beat Stokes in six at first trial in Gabba next week

That’s why we can’t get angry if Stokes plays in Brisbane and hurts himself in some way because he’s underripe.

All I know is that if I were Pat Cummins and I were given an English team sheet before throwing in Brisbane, I would immediately look for the name Ben Stokes. If it weren’t for that, I’d be happy.

It’s not easy to turn on and off because of the pressures around the Ashes tour. And since all the restrictions and the new version of Covid are a concern for locks, this tour isn’t going to be fun.

But if anyone is able to make a superhuman effort ahead of England and gain the weight of the first innings of runs, it is crucial if they have a start to win test matches in Australia – this man is Stokes. A score of 300 may be enough to win the test in England with a Duke’s ball, but in Australia in Kookaburra it must be at least 400-450.

I wouldn’t leave Stokes any further to have a fantastic series.