England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace downplayed the back injury of his superstar All-rounder, Ben Stokes, ahead of the first Test against New Zealand which starts at Auckland from 22nd March.

Farbrace speaking after the first day’s play of the warm-up game between England and New Zealand XI did not rule out the likelihood of Ben Stokes participating in England’s second two-day warm-up match which starts immediately on Friday.

Following his arrest after the altercation that happened outside a pub in last September, Ben Stokes’ first match for England was the recently concluded five-match ODI series versus New Zealand. He scored 141 runs at an average of 47 and snared five wickets in the series.

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The prospects of Stokes reappearing for the English Test team suffered a mild setback as he picked up a back injury. He was forced to watch the action of the first warm-up match from the sidelines. Assistant Coach Farbrace, however, expected Stokes to be back on the playing field for the second warm-up match and the first Test subsequently.

“Stokesy should be okay. We’re hoping that all of them should be fit to play some part in the next two-day game which starts here in two days,” Farbrace told Sky Sports.

“We’re pretty confident all should be okay. Overton and Woakes have had a gentle bowl today and Stokesy should be okay, even if plays as a batter – and there’s plenty of time next week for him to get overs and be ready for the Test match in Auckland.”

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The last Test match that Ben Stokes played was against West Indies at the Lord’s in September 2017. If he manages to return to the team, he will be a vital cog in the plans of the English team even if he plays only as a batsman.

1st Test (Day-night) – New Zealand versus England, Eden Park, Auckland, 22nd to 26th March