Ben Stokes and Johnny Bairstow, the English batsmen, suffered separate injuries during the fourth test match with Bairstow getting the ball hit straight on his thumb during batting and Stokes having issues in his sides.
The two red headed strongmen battled their respective injuries and saw the match to the end to get England a draw. However, their injuries will now be assessed as they look to make their way to Hobart for the fifth and final match of this absurd Ashes series in Australia.
Australia, who has dominated the series winning the first 3 matches to get the Ashes series and then almost winning the fourth match, have shown the quality of their players ranging from fixed players like Warner and Smith to returns like the centurion Usman Khawaja.
With Jos Butler also out with a broken thumb already and back in England, the team has limited choices left to replace the two integral parts of the team.
“We’ve got to just see where they’re at, see what their bodies can handle and then assess from there,” Root said in Hobart on Wednesday.”
“I think they need to make sure they feel like they’re physically in a place where they can get through five days of hard cricket, whatever Australia throw at them, and they’re in a position where they can go out and play and firstly, get through the game, but also, most importantly put in a performance as they managed to last week as well. It’s alright being fit to play but you’ve got to be fit to perform and I think that’s what we’ve got to work out.”
“All you can do when you’re on the fringes, is work as hard as you can, and make sure you feel as ready as you can,” he said. “One thing about this tour and all tours really in these bubble environments, this Covid-19 world that we are currently living in, is there’s not always opportunities to go out and play and to have game time.”
“But as players, you’ve just got to manage that as best as you can. You’ve got to feel like you’re readying yourself, you’re putting yourself in those situations in practice as best as possible. So when you do get out there, you know, you’re as mentally ready as you possibly can be.”