McCullum says Stokes will bowl at 'some stage' during the Ashes

England head coach Brendon McCullum says captain Ben Stokes will bowl at ‘some stage’ during the Ashes despite his knee injury… and he could bat as low as No 7 against Ireland to reintegrate Jonny Bairstow

• England will continue to monitor the fitness of captain Ben Stokes
• Jonny Bairstow set to play his first Test for almost nine months against Ireland
• Brendon McCullum backs Harry Brook to bounce back from IPL disappointment

England will begin their Test summer on Thursday against Ireland at Lord’s still uncertain about Ben Stokes’s availability as a bowler because of his problematic left knee.

The England captain will bowl only if absolutely necessary during the four-day Test. And with Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson wrapped in cotton wool until the Ashes begin on June 16, that leaves the seam attack in the hands of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts. Jack Leach will provide the spin option.

Head coach McCullum said England would continue to monitor the fitness of Stokes, who bowled just one over in the two games he played during an injury-hit stint for Chennai Super Kings at the IPL.

‘At some stage throughout the summer he’ll definitely be bowling, but whether it’s this one or not, I’m not sure,’ said McCullum.

‘He’s found a way to be successful in difficult conditions away from home with a slightly unbalanced side, because he gets guys to believe in their own ability and do things that maybe they don’t even think are possible. If he is able to bowl then fantastic, it helps us a lot. If not, someone else will have to pick up the slack.’

Brendon McCullum (L) and Ben Stokes take part in a training session at Lord’s on Monday

Jonny Bairstow set to play his first Test for almost nine months against Ireland this week

Stokes could go in as low as No 7 against Ireland as England reintegrate Jonny Bairstow, who has not played Test cricket for almost nine months after breaking his leg playing golf but will keep wicket at Lord’s after the omission of Ben Foakes.

‘It was a really tough decision and in this group sometimes you are just unlucky,’ said McCullum. ‘In this case, Foakesy was just unlucky. He’s done a really good job for us and he still has a huge part to play in this team moving forward.

‘He was great when I spoke to him. Naturally, he was disappointed but you just never know when he’ll be called upon again.

‘I’m loathe to get into comparisons, because they’re very different types of players. But we felt that Johnny was a commodity which was very rare, and he deserves his place in the side. Him betting at six or seven certainly makes it very strong.’

McCullum backed Harry Brook to put an indifferent IPL campaign behind him and rediscover the form that brought him four centuries in five Tests over the winter in Pakistan and New Zealand.

Brook scored a spectacular 55-ball century for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in April, but otherwise managed just 90 runs in 10 IPL innings.

‘Brooky’ll be fine,’ said McCullum. ‘He’s had a remarkable start to his international career, and while there might have been a bit of short-term pain, there’s long-term gain from those experiences as well. He’s a pretty simple lad, old Brooky, so he’ll keep things pretty level.’

The England coach also reiterated his support for opener Zak Crawley, whose Test average dipped to 27 during the winter, and has passed 50 only 10 times in his 61 Test innings.

‘As I’ve said time and time again, he’s a rare talent,’ said McCullum. ‘He’s not always going to be a consistent type of player, but we feel he has something that is very capable of being successful at this level, and has played vital knocks for us. I’ve a lot of confidence Zak will do well throughout the series.’

England head coach backed Harry Brook to put an indifferent IPL campaign behind him

This week is the first anniversary of the Bazball revolution that has transformed England’s Test team, with Stokes and McCullum going in search of their 11th win out of 13. In that time, England have scored at 4.76 an over – 1.20 quicker than Australia, the next fastest-scoring team in the world.

But McCullum insisted England are less focused on run-rates than in ‘being present in the moment and making good decisions with clarity of thought’. He added: ‘There’s no fear of failure. It’s about going out there and sticking to our skills, regardless of how big the prize is.’

Asked if England’s positive approach could work against an Australian side who in the last five years have lost a Test series only to India, he replied: ‘They’ll be a formidable challenge for us but it is a challenge we’re really looking forward to. It is what you want to play sport for, right?

‘You want to be playing against the best, in the biggest series and on the biggest stage, and there is no greater opportunity than what lies in front of us in the next six to eight weeks.’

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