Ashes: No talk among players about Ben Stokes return, says England pacer Mark Wood

England fast bowler Mark Wood has said that there is no talk among players about Ben Stokes making a potential comeback for the Ashes tour in Australia after the talismanic all-rounder returned to the nets this week.

“Not once among any of the players has Stokesy been mentioned,” Wood told reporters on Friday.

“The one thing at the forefront of everyone’s minds is they just want him to be all right. No one wants to even think past that.

“We just want him to be himself and feel right and happy and stuff like that. So not once has it crossed anyone’s mind about the Ashes.”

Stokes is also out of England’s squad for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, where they face defending champions West Indies in their opening match on October 23 in Dubai.

Stokes had taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health while also recovering from a second operation on a broken finger, and was not included in coach Chris Silverwood’s squad for the Ashes.