England all-rounder Ben Stokes has said that it would be ‘devastating’ and ‘frustrating’ for them if they are ruled out of The Hundred in order to keep themselves safe from COVID-19 for the upcoming five-match Test series against India. Recently, a county game between Derbyshire and Essex was cancelled after an unknown Derbyshire player had tested positive for COVID-19.

And, after that, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) might want their players to be on the safe side ahead of the India series that starts in August. Ben Stokes, however, understands how important players are and he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail: “It would be very frustrating to not be able to participate in The Hundred. It’s a massive event for England and we want to be part of it. We know how big a role players play in making a franchise competition big, and if the Test players were unable to play in it because of Covid, that would be pretty devastating.”

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Meanwhile, Ben Stokes is set to turn out for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, starting on July 22. He has recently led the fresh England team against Pakistan where they won the three-match ODI series convincingly by 3-0 as well.

Ben Stokes further said: “When I got sent through the squad, even though it was a last-minute thing, I thought it was strong and talented, and I knew we’d be able to compete against Pakistan. But it would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised how easily we have done it.”

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The five-match Test series against India will begin in August as well.