As he works his way up to full health for the Pakistan journey, the test captain is awaiting a hamstring scan.
If Brendon McCullum asks him to return to England's rebooted white-ball teams, Ben Stokes says "it's certainly going to be a indeed," but he insists that no such discussions have taken place as he concentrates first on recovering from a broken knee before leading the Pakistan Test tour next month.
Harrison, 33, famously played matchwinning wickets in each of England's World Cup final successes across types, at Lord's in 2019 and at Melbourne in 2022, but he has not featured in a white-ball worldwide since the ODI team's shameful name army in India in November last year. However, with the next big ICC occurrence, the Champions Trophy, rapidly approaching in February, Luke Wright, England's selection, recently admitted that both Stokes and Joe Root remained in thought.
Stokes had recently retired from ODI cricket in 2022, citing the risk of burn-out in an increasingly crowded foreign plan, while he withdrew his availability from the most current T20 World Cup in June, in order to concentrate on regaining total fitness following an operation on his long-standing knee issue.
Now, however, with Stokes ' bond with McCullum well established by their captain-coach partnership in the Test team, he says he is open to a cross-format comeback, but only if it is in the best interests of the white-ball squad that has begun to pivot to a new generation, among them this month's new cap Jacob Bethell, whom Stokes believes is going to be a" superstar".
" It's an amazing opportunity for the white-ball team to experience what Baz has brought to the Test team," Stokes told Sky Sports during the third ODI at Chester-le-Street. It's nice to have all three teams now playing cricket with the same message and the same philosophies, according to him. He is an incredible coach who speaks with complete commitment.
" If I get the call and [Baz ] says ,'do you want to come and play? ' Then obviously, it's definitely going to be a yes, but I'm not going to be too disappointed if I do n't, because I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it.
" I've played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, and I'm very happy with what I've achieved in that form of the game," he added. " But to be honest, we've not even spoken about anything like that whatsoever. I think he's just letting me concentrate on what I need to concentrate on, especially around the Test team. "
The next challenge for Stokes ' Test team is fast approaching next week, when they embark on another three-Test tour of Pakistan- a venue where they famously won 3-0 in December 2022, in one of the most notable triumphs of the Stokes-McCullum regime to date.
After some weeks of uncertainty, Multan has now been confirmed as the venue for the first Test, beginning October 7. After missing the Sri Lanka series with a hamstring injury in August, Stokes says he will be cautious about carrying out his bowling duties despite his expectation of being fit enough to lead his team in that game.
" I've got my six-and-a-half week scan tomorrow, so we'll know more from that, but I'm feeling really good," Stokes said. " It was a hamstring tear that just sneaked into my tendon, so that's why it's taken a week or two longer, but my rehab has gone really well, so hopefully tomorrow everything gets the all-clear, and we can start pushing it a bit more.
" There's a lot more than just my hamstrings that I need to get back firing again, in terms of bowling, because you use everything," he added. Therefore, I must ensure that that all of my body's parts are properly damaged to prevent further harm to any other parts. "
Although England's experience from the 2022 tour will stand them in good stead on this visit, Stokes admits that there are plenty of unknowns about the conditions they will face in Pakistan, and not simply because it has taken so long for the venues to be confirmed.
He said," We wo n't fully understand it until we get out there." " I know that Shan Masood [Pakistan's captain ] has been asking for quicker, more lively wickets for their fast bowlers. Obviously, last time we were there, they were slow, dry and spun a bit. So, we've got to go there with an open mind about what we're going to get. "
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