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          Side injury could prevent Stokes from bowling again in SCG Test

          Ben Stokes went off clutching his side Getty Images
          • Andrew Miller, UK editor, ESPNcricinfoJan 6, 2022, 11:25 AM
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              Andrew Miller was saved from a life of drudgery in the City when his car caught fire on the way to an interview. He took this as a sign and fled to Pakistan where he witnessed England's historic victory in the twilight at Karachi (or thought he did, at any rate - it was too dark to tell). He then joined Wisden Online in 2001, and soon graduated from put-upon photocopier to a writer with a penchant for comment and cricket on the subcontinent. In addition to Pakistan, he has covered England tours in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007
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          Ben Stokes is unlikely to bowl again in the ongoing fourth Test, and could be a doubt for next week's Ashes series finale in Hobart, after sustaining an injury to his left side on the second day of play at SCG. On Thursday, he managed just five balls of his fourth over before leaving the field, clutching his side, whereupon Mark Wood delivered the final ball of the over.

          For now, the England management has held off sending Stokes for a scan, and having returned to the field soon after his assessment he would be free to bat at No. 5 if he is fit to do so. However, he spent much of the rest of the day fielding in the slip cordon - a position that allowed him not to run as much as he might have elsewhere on the field, but one from which he has been shielded in recent times, in the aftermath of the recent finger injury.

          In his absence, England's seam burden was shared between James Anderson, Wood and Stuart Broad, who was the standout performer with figures of 5 for 101.

          "He's one of the toughest blokes I've ever met, the toughest cricketer I've ever met," Broad said at the close. "For him to go off and not bowl… it's obviously sore. But he's icing it at the moment. We've no information on what's happened in his side.

          "Hopefully we give him a lot of rest tomorrow. Twelve-24 hours in cricket is quite a long time. It gives the body a lot of time to heal. We'll wait and see. He stayed on the field so he could bat in his usual position. He's a tough character. He'll be out there if it's not torn to shreds. We as England fans and team-mates hope it's not as bad as him not bowling again on this trip."

          Stokes, who came into the Ashes after a lengthy break during the English season to manage his mental health in the wake of a broken finger, has struggled to make an impact on the series so far, with 101 runs at 16.83 and four wickets at 71.50 in the first three-and-a-bit Tests. However, with the ball, he has been consistently used in an enforcer's role by Joe Root, tasked with bowling lengthy spells of short-pitched bowling to unsettle Australia's batters.