'I cannot wait to get back out there' – Ben Stokes

Stokes, who celebrated his birthday earlier this month, was re-appointed as vice-captain of the Test side ahead of last year's Ashes series. He now may be called upon to captain a Test for the first time, with usual skipper Root awaiting the birth of his second child. Writing in his column in The Mirror, Stokes was adamant that, while he would fulfil the role to the best of his ability, he would be looking to reinforce Root's influence on the team rather than stamping his own mark.

"I'm the Scottie Pippen to Joe [Root]'s Michael Jordan. It is his team," Stokes wrote. "I understand where Joe is taking the team and how he wants to lead it. So although I'll make my own calls on the field and do the job as I see it as the game evolves, everything else will very much be the same as when Joe is there."

The all-rounder also talked about how glad he was to be back training with competitive cricket to look forward to, explaining how it has taken him a while to readjust to the pace of his training partner – Durham and England team-mate Mark Wood.

"After such a long time without seeing your mates, it was great to start training with Mark Wood up in Durham rather than just bowling either into my garage or to an empty net. We took it in turns initially with individual training, but now we are bowling and batting against each other. To begin with it felt as though Woody was topping 100mph. Everything felt so fast because I hadn’t been used to it."

Stokes has posted several videos on his social media during lockdown of him performing various drills and challenges at his home, including one showing him bowling against the wall of his garage. He shared, however, that he struggled for motivation to train at home with no confirmed return date to aim for, and that he has missed both his team-mates and the competitive nature of international cricket. The explained it was even apparent to his wife how much he was longing for a return to action.

"With international cricket back on the horizon it is fair to say I’m excited. It has been three long months without being able to do the thing I love and I’ve really missed it. I’ve missed the dressing room and the people I work with, I’ve missed the competition, my goodness I have.

"Even my wife mentioned to me the other day how she could tell I was struggling without it. She said, ‘You need to get back out there, don’t you?’ – too right! I’ve loved the time at home with the family, of course I have, and that will be the thing I remember fondly about this period. But I’m glad there is a Test series to get ready for and I’m so pleased the West Indies have made it over here."

England's three-match Test series against West Indies begins 8 July, with the first Test being played at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton.