There is no question that England must look after Ben Stokes during this Ashes, but as long as he comes through his mental and physical tests, he must play at the Gabba next week.
An away Ashes is more demanding than anything else in cricket because of the conditions, opposition, crowds and travel. And Covid restrictions have added an extra element. If you are not fully up for the fight, Australia is not the place to be.
Coach Chris Silverwood and England director Ashley Giles have said they will not rush Ben back. That is the right approach. They have to show a duty of care to someone who has not played since July because of his broken finger and to protect his mental wellbeing.
Nasser Hussain hopes Ben Stokes will be picked for the First Test of the Ashes in Brisbane
But in an iconic series when you need your toughest characters and the type of cricketer who will stand toe to toe with the Australians, Stokes is a must-pick for Brisbane on Wednesday.
Just look at the type of players who have succeeded against Australia. Ian Botham, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and, lest we forget, Stokes himself so famously at Headingley in the last Ashes. They never took a backward step. So Joe Root will be desperate to have Stokes in his side at the Gabba.
Root will have Jos Buttler one side of him and on the other he will want his talismanic figure, the man who will constantly be urging him to take the aggressive option. That man is Stokes.
Root can be conservative and, yes, there will be times when he has to ‘sit in’ against Australia. But England’s attitude changes when Stokes is around.
Chris Silverwood (pictured) and Ashley Giles said they won't hurry Stokes back into action
It’s hard to imagine Root not going for that run chase against New Zealand at Lord’s last summer if Ben had been there. I’m sure Stokes would have been saying, ‘Come on skip, let’s at least have a look at this’.
I would bat Stokes at six at the Gabba. I always find it a little odd for batters to come in after an all-rounder, so the time has come for Ollie Pope or Jonny Bairstow to bat at five followed by Stokes and then Buttler.
And if he doesn’t play now, when will Stokes get into nick? They are playing all five Ashes Tests back to back and there will be no other warm-up opportunities for him. He can take time to get back into the
