England Test captain, Ben Stokes, who has been plagued with chronic tendonitis in his knee for years, will be looking to prolong his Test career either by bowling off-spin or surgery as per reports. During the build-up to the fifth Ashes 2023 at The Oval in London on July 27, the star all-rounder was spotted trying out spin bowling, which he had used before on the Test tour to Pakistan last year.

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On July 26, Wednesday, during the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes confirmed that he won’t be bowling during the last Ashes Test match, due to the knee injury. In the ongoing series, the 32-year-old hasn’t bowled since the second Test match at Lord’s, where he pushed himself to deliver a 12-over spell in the Australian second innings.

When a journalist in the press conference asked Ben Stokes, “Bowling wise, you’ve only managed, I think it’s 29 overs in the series, how do you see yourself as a natural all-rounder evolving?” He responded, “Is that because you saw me bowl spin before? (Chuckles)”

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Ben Stokes talks about possible knee surgery after the Ashes 2023

When Ben Stokes was asked about the possibility of surgery after the Ashes 2023, he stated, “Yeah, it’s something I obviously want to get sorted.  The time in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around."

"So as it’s been manageable we’ve just cracked on. But those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off. You saw me bowl spin before. I don’t know. There is probably time to think about that after the series,” he added.

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The 32-year-old also revealed that he needs to have a serious conversation with the medical staff about how he can contribute to England without worrying about his knee. He said, “I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee.”