Ben Stokes seen using inhaler while training in Bengaluru
England’s campaign in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has been way off track as the defending champions have lost three out of their first four matches. They will aim to bring their campaign back on track as they next lock horns with Sri Lanka on Thursday, October 26 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Ahead of the fixture, star England all rounder Ben Stokes was spotted practicing hard in the nets. However, what caught the attention of everyone was the repeated usage of the inhaler by the 2019 World Cup winner during practice suggesting that he might me suffering from asthma.
However, no such confirmation has been done by Stokes or England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Notably, an inhaler isn’t always used by a person suffering from Asthma as Doctors prescribe it for variety of reasons. Some athletes experience heavy breathing during or after heavy exercises and hence use an inhaler to counter that.
Furthermore, Stokes could also have been using it to intake some non-performance enhancing steriods on a Doctor’s prescription as he’s suffering from knee and hip injuries.
According to reports, Stokes had a lengthy session in Bengaluru and was seen batting and bowling and also took part in numerous fielding drills. After missing out from the first three matches of the tournament, Stokes finally made a comeback in the team in the previous game against South Africa but could only score (5 off 8) and didn’t bowl during the match.
The 32-year-old came out of ODI retirement ahead of the tournament to help England in their title defence. Hence, Stokes was brought in to revive England’s campaign against South Africa but he failed to leave a mark on the game. Ahead of the tournament, it was made clear that the star all rounder will only be playing as a pure batter in the team.
Hence, Stokes will be eager to give his all with the bat for England in the remaining fixtures. Notably, he recently registered the highest individual score by an England batter in ODIs scoring 182 (124) against New Zealand at the Oval earlier in September.
