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England are being reckless by not resting key Ashes men

England gamble: Stokes is poised to play a key tole for the tourists Down Under: Stu Forster/Getty Images
England gamble: Stokes is poised to play a key tole for the tourists Down Under: Stu Forster/Getty Images

The longest-ever English international summer heads into its final leg today with the start of a five-match one-day series against West Indies in Manchester.

However, it must feel like a bridge too far for a quartet of players who will prove integral to England’s Ashes hopes in Australia this winter.

Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali have already played a combined 142 days of cricket for their country since the summer began, with an ODI against Ireland in Bristol on May 5.

Of those, Root, England’s Test captain, has played 38 of a possible 41 days of international cricket, with Bairstow and Moeen on 35 each and Stokes, who missed the Ireland series as he was on Indian Premier League duty, on 34.

Much is said about rest and rotation, with many fans irate when big-name players are missing for internationals they bought tickets for months ago.

The decision to rest Stokes for the one-off T20 against West Indies at the all-rounder’s home ground of Durham last Saturday was a case in point.

However, one wonders why Stokes wasn’t rested for this one-day series as well given the workload he faces over a winter that starts when England fly out to Australia on October 28 and finishes at the end of a tour of New Zealand in early April.

If this summer has been demanding then the winter, which will see England away from home for a continuous period of more than five months, is even more testing. Indeed, it is England’s longest winter since they stopped travelling by boat.

So, it’s baffling why the powers that be have seen fit to make Stokes, Root, Moeen and Bairstow available for this series. In fact, their very presence in the squad is a huge gamble on England’s Ashes hopes.

Risk: Stokes has been managing a knee injury but will feature in the one-day series against West Indies (Getty Images)
Risk: Stokes has been managing a knee injury but will feature in the one-day series against West Indies (Getty Images)

If burnout is a worry then so is injury during cold, wet autumn nights that will exacerbate the risk of muscle strains, slips and other mishaps that could cause unwanted complications before the team depart for Australia.

England coach Trevor Bayliss is rightly proud of the depth his “three all-rounders” in Stokes, Moeen and Bairstow, the Test wicketkeeper, offer across all forms of the game.

It is surprising then why three players with such huge workloads have not been rested for a series that feels like an afterthought taking place as it does five weeks into the football season.

Indeed, Stokes has been managing a knee injury all summer so to expose him to even more cricket so close to the Ashes tour appears downright reckless.

There is also the other concern with Stokes — namely the disciplinary tightrope he is walking that could see him banned for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in November if he picks up one more demerit point.

Stokes got his third, for swearing, during the recent Test series against West Indies. If he gains another during the first three matches of this ODI series he will miss the final two.

However, if he transgresses during either of the final two ODIs at The Oval or the Ageas Bowl he will be suspended for the Ashes opener at The Gabba.

With his long-time foe in Marlon Samuels back in West Indies colours, there will be plenty of opportunity for Stokes to get into an on-field row.