The Ashes latest as England's stars endure mixed fortunes in IPL 2023

• Published prior to news of Jofra Archer's injury setback

England fans would have feared the worst when Chennai Super Kings paid £1.6million for the services of BEN STOKES at this season’s IPL mega auction, but the heavy workload he was expected to shoulder hasn’t materialised.

In fact, Stokes had minimal impact in CSK’s first two matches, before sitting on the sidelines ever since, initially due to a minor niggle and more recently because the men in yellow have been reluctant to tinker with the same winning formula that has seen them surge towards the top of the IPL league table.

Under the leadership of MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming, that strategy has been very much the CSK way for a number of years and though Stokes has again been confirmed fully fit and available for selection in the last week, his chances of earning a recall into the starting XI before he returns home appear minimal.

That should be good news for his troublesome left knee but means he has done very little bowling, or batting, in recent weeks ahead of a huge summer.

Perhaps he would have been better served staying at home and playing as a specialist batsman for Durham in the County Championship but, ultimately, money talks and at least Stokes will be fresh and raring to go when his plane touches down in the UK.

Should the unthinkable happen and Stokes’ injury troubles catch up with him to such an extent that he is forced to miss some of the Ashes, one of the front-runners to replace him would be Surrey all-rounder SAM CURRAN.

Unlike Stokes, Curran has been kept very busy in the last few weeks, though his confidence will have taken a knock having so far failed to justify his huge price tag at Punjab Kings.

Despite starring at last year’s T20 World Cup, Curran has only managed seven wickets in 11 matches at IPL 2023, conceding 10.28 runs per over. His batting has been marginally better, scoring 196 runs at an average of 24.50 from the middle order.

Given the particularly wet spring England has seen so far, Curran’s left-arm swing could provide a handy option, but confidence and a lack of red-ball match practice weakens the case for him, particularly with Chris Woakes fit again and currently playing county cricket for Warwickshire.

Nevertheless, England and Stokes will want as many seamers available as possible, particularly with serious doubts surrounding the fitness of JOFRA ARCHER who has returned to England to focus on his injury rehabilitation.

Mumbai Indians went all in for Archer, not at the latest auction but the one before, such was their belief that they were signing a champion fast bowler for the long term. They were right on the first part, but Archer’s move has met speed bump after speed bump.

The Sussex quick missed the whole of IPL 2022, as expected, but his return this season has been plagued by injury concerns, with reports circulating that he was at one stage flown to Belgium to undergo a minor operation on his elbow.

Archer did return to India and the Mumbai starting XI, but the medical team there were clearly concerned enough to pull the plug for another year, even though his franchise is currently firmly in the mix to reach the playoffs.

At the final count, Archer played five games throughout the season, claiming only two wickets and leaking 9.50 runs per over. Two of those games were played at the Wankhede Stadium, where scores are notoriously high and conditions tough for bowlers, but he patently didn’t set the world alight.

That’s not good news for England, though one suspects Stokes and Brendon McCullum will be much more concerned about his fitness than his form in white-ball cricket. In fact, a closer look at Archer’s performances in India confirmed many of his key weapons remain in place, and his speeds were very good.

But his fitness is the chief worry. Archer was the breakout star of the 2019 Ashes series and having been badly missed in the return series in Australia a couple of years later, England will be desperate to have his X-factor at their disposal.

Despite boasting a vastly-experienced and skilful seam and swing attack for home conditions, England’s weak spot against Australia in recent encounters has been the lack of variety in a bowling unit that hasn't always had genuine pace in its arsenal.

Archer has that pace, and with Tests at Old Trafford and The Oval to finish, even being able to call upon his services for one of those matches would be a huge boost to the hosts.

The hope is that MARK WOOD will be available for more than one match, and the prospect of him teaming up with Archer on one of the two quickest pitches in England would surely give Stokes the belief that he finally has the tools to fight Australian fire with fire.

Wood’s IPL was much more successful, and though only playing four matches, that might prove to be a blessing with a busy few months ahead.

When he did feature, Wood was generally very good and picked up five wickets and a Man of the Match award in his very first game, finishing with 11 scalps in total.

Wood is now back in England, preparing for the birth of his daughter, and that will be music to the ears of England’s management who have long tried to wrap their fastest bowler in cotton wool, given his chequered injury record.

One suspects that Stokes would have preferred to have one of Wood or Archer to compliment two of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad in every Test, but those doubts around Archer might call for a change in plan.

With the first two Tests scheduled for Edgbaston and Lord’s, maybe Wood will be asked to keep his powder dry initially, before entering the fray with one eye on that finish at Old Trafford and The Oval.

Wood was England’s best bowler in the 2021/22 Ashes series Down Under, bowling with pace and a big heart in four matches to finish top of the tourists’ tree with 17 wickets. His raw speed worried Australia, most notably Steve Smith, throughout so we can expect him to be central to England’s overall plans again.

HARRY BROOK is someone Australia won't have seen too much of, but he has taken to Test cricket in brilliant fashion, already compiling four centuries from only six matches.

Numbers like that will earn you a big-money deal at the IPL, but they will only buy you so much time in a competition like that and Brook now finds himself warming the Sunrisers Hyderabad bench having been dropped from their starting XI.

Despite striking a brilliant, unbeaten century against Kolkata Knight Riders, Brook has still only managed 163 runs from nine matches, at a modest strike-rate of 121.64, and the Sunrisers management were left with little option but to axe their star signing.

In truth, it has been tough work for Brook who has found facing high-quality spin early in his innings a real challenge, one he needs to overcome in order to enjoy a long-term international career in different conditions.

His star quality is not in question, but this is just about the first setback in a so far flawless, young career and the Australians will have been watching, hoping his confidence has taken a knock.

One suspects Australia's veteran spinner Nathan Lyon will be planning on denting that confidence even further.

Brook remains key to England's plans, as does JOE ROOT, who has had to bide his time before finally breaking into the Rajasthan Royals starting XI at the IPL.

England’s batting rock hasn’t managed a hit yet, so well have those above him batted in his two appearances, and that lack of competitive cricket for a player so used to spending hours at the crease is not ideal.

Perhaps that will change when Rajasthan host Royals Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, but there is no escaping the fact that Root will begin an Ashes summer woefully short of match practice.

He won’t be alone.