Ashes: England captain Ben Stokes is in a ‘really good place’ to bowl after overcoming a knee injury

England captain Ben Stokes insisted that he is fit and ready to bowl ahead of the first Ashes Test on Friday at Edgbaston.

‘The last three days (of training) have been really good for my confidence. I’ve bowled every day so far and increased in intensity day by day so I’ve got myself in a really good place to be able to bowl,’ said Stokes.

A longstanding knee injury saw Stokes not bowl at all during England’s 10-wicket win over Ireland but the all-rounder has been bowling during training in Birmingham with heavy strapping on his knee.

And Stokes was adamant that England will approach the series in the same attacking manner that they have, since he and Brendon McCullum took over last year.

‘What we have done over the last year is show how we want to play and get the best out of the team and the best out of the individuals,’ said Stokes.

England captain Ben Stokes insists he is fit and ready to bowl ahead of the first Ashes Test as he is pictured training with heavy strapping on his knee

Stokes insists he is feeling really confident as he overcomes a longstanding knee injury

‘We get asked a lot whether we’ll continue to play in this way against Australia and we’ve made it clear that this is how we play against any opposition because it’s worked more than it’s not. I don’t think there’s any question as to how we’re going to go about our cricket even though it’s against Australia.’

Stokes and McCullum chose to go with Stuart Broad in the starting eleven, with Mark Wood missing out as England go into the Test match with four right-arm seamers, including Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson.

‘Broady’s record against Oz is incredible and it’s very hard to look past someone like that,’ said Stokes.

Asked whether Broad’s record against Australia’s David Warner played a part in the decision, Stokes said: ‘I’d be lying if i said no. it’s like Ashwin against me.’

Broad and Warner have faced off against each other in 26 Tests , with the Englishman dismissing the Australian 14 times – more than any other bowler on the planet.

And half of those wickets came in the 2019 Ashes, when Broad removed the left-hander seven times in 10 innings bowling from around the wicket as Warner averaged just 9.5 across the five Tests.

A knee injury saw Stokes not bowl at all during England’s 10-wicket win over Ireland this month

‘Broady’s been an unbelievable performer over the years and with what The Ashes brings, it’s hard to look past someone like that,’ added Stokes.

And the England captain insisted that with five Tests in the space of just over six-and-a-half weeks, he would be calling upon other bowling options over the series.

‘All our bowlers have been told to prepare before every game as if you’re going to play as it’s going to be very tough for any bowler to play all five Tests and it will be very likely that we’ll have to make changes as the series goes on.’

One person who is now set to remain in the side for the rest of the series is 35-year-old Moeen Ali, after remarkably coming out of Test retirement to answer England’s SOS call after Jack Leach was ruled out with a back injury.

‘The Leachy news was a shock – the way in which he’s progressed is going to be a big miss,’ admitted Stokes.

Stokes is adamant that England will approach the series with the same attacking approach

‘I had to think hard and a player like Mo who I’ve seen put in some unbelievable match-winning performances – albeit a long time ago – was something I couldn’t look past.

‘That was a stomach and a heart feeling rather than brain and I’ve generally stuck with my gut and my heart throughout my captaincy and I’m looking at what Mo can offer to this team on his best days and not worry about anything else.’

England haven’t won the Ashes since 2015 and Stokes was adamant that despite all the anticipation ahead of the series, his side is now as calm as ever..

‘This is probably the most relaxed the group has felt because we start tomorrow. And now that day is finally here, we’re really excited to get going,’ said the 32-year-old.