Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse unavailable for selection as England prepare themselves for upcoming Test season

The England cricket team willl continue to miss the services of their skipper Ben Stokes and right-arm seamer Brydon Carse in the upcoming Test series against India and the Ashes as they are still recovering from their respective injuries. Stokes hasn't played at any level since he tore his left hamstring in December and the experienced all-rounder continues to track well with his recovery ahead of a busy 12 months that includes a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May, five Tests against India starting in June and an away Ashes series in Australia at the end of the year.

Stokes' County coach at Durham Ryan Campbell said the England veteran has been tracking well as he recovers from surgery on his hamstring, but suggested there will be no risks taken ahead of a potential return at domestic level. Durham have a total of six County matches prior to England's one-off Test against Zimbabwe starting on May 22 and Campbell is not factoring in having Stokes at his disposal for any of the early contests.

"My expectation is that it'll be zero (early-season matches) - anything else is an added bonus. They're coming back from serious injuries. The facts are they need to get up and running by the time the Test matches start," Campbell said as quoted by ICC's official website. Campbell has been impressed with how well Stokes has done during his recovery.

"He's here nearly every single day working his butt off. The guy had hamstring surgery and was in the next day lifting weights, which I couldn't believe. He's such a hard-working bloke. He'll do whatever it takes to be up and running for England," Campbell noted.

Carse, meanwhile, has been battling a foot issue and was forced to be replaced in England's squad during the recent ICC Champions Trophy event in Pakistan and Dubai. Campbell suggested a long-term approach with Carse would prove the best way to ensure the tall right-armer was fit for England's upcoming Test fixtures.

"We've known about his foot problems for a year now. It's not new, but he needs to get it right if he's going to be playing a lot of Test cricket.," Campbell said.

If we look at it, then I think Brydon Carse is probably the No.1 priority for England right now with what he's shown in Test cricket. He's born for that sort of stuff. There's 11 Tests over the summer and winter and I think he's going to be No.1 on England's list to make sure that he's ready to go for that," Campbell concluded. (ANI)