Ben Stokes a serious doubt for Ashes as England all-rounder undergoes second surgery on broken finger

England have suffered a big blow to their Ashes hopes, with Ben Stokes now a major doubt for the winter tour to Australia.

The all-rounder has undergone a second operation on his finger injury, which is set to lengthen his period of leave from the sport.

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The 30-year-old Stokes has been on self-enforced sabbatical since the end of July. The England star said he wanted to focus on his mental wellbeing, as well as allow his broken finger injury to fully heal.

Stokes first suffered the problem when fielding in the Indian Premier League earlier this year, and had surgery on the issue for the first time in April, after an X-ray detected a fracture.

He then came back at short notice to captain a makeshift England side to a 3-0 one-day series clean sweep over Pakistan, but described feeling ‘ridiculous’ pain during his outing.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have now confirmed Stokes has undergone a second surgery to fix the injury.

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While it has been reported the latest procedure was successful, he remains unlikely to feature in the Ashes - if the series goes ahead - with England once again not wanting to put any timescale on Stokes' return.

An ECB statement read: "Ben Stokes has undergone a second operation on Monday 4 October to address ongoing issues with the finger that he injured in the IPL in April.

"Stokes had two screws and scar tissue removed from the index finger of his left hand.

"He will now undergo an intensive period of rehabilitation for the next four weeks under the supervision of the ECB's medical team."

England and Australia have inched closer to a resolution over the fate of this winter's Ashes, after productive conversations were held with all relevant stakeholders on Tuesday.

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The series is scheduled to begin in Brisbane on December 8 but it is understood Australia's rigid COVID-19 restrictions has led to hesitation from several of those in the England camp.

Quarantine, bubble environments and access for families are among the prime concerns for the tourists, although it is claimed recent talks were more positive than a previous meeting on Sunday.

After the weekend consultation, the ECB seemed to cast some doubt on the tour going ahead, but the outcome of the latest discussions indicates steps could be taken to assuage major issues.

The ECB said on Monday it is meeting later this week to decide ‘whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance’.

But whether players will want to go, is another matter.

England captain Joe Root last week refused to commit to travelling Down Under, even though he admitted he was ‘desperate’ to do so, as he sought greater clarity about what would be expected on the trip.

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