Stokes mindful of pushing himself too hard on England return

England captain Ben Stokes is mindful of pushing himself too hard on his return to Test cricket but is confident he will soon fulfil the "incredibly tough" role of fully-fledged all-rounder.

The one-off Test against Zimbabwe from Thursday - live on Sky Sports - will be Stokes' first match since he injured his left hamstring in New Zealand in December and underwent surgery.

The 33-year-old feels he is in a position to bowl "some overs" at Trent Bridge this week but it may not be until the India series from June 20 when he is back at full tilt.

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Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Stokes said: "I've been training a lot over the last two months and got myself back up as close as I possibly can to match intensity.

"We have so much technology where we can look at those numbers and the difference, as far as I can push myself in training to game, there is a bit of a gap.

"Getting out in the battle of playing is something I have to be mindful of, but I've done all the work I need to get out there and bowl some overs.

"I need to build myself back up to proper match workload for later on in the summer.

"I said I not only wanted to be strong from this hamstring and everything that supports that but fit and strong everywhere else as I am not getting any younger.

"I know how hard my role is, the role I want to play is incredibly tough on the body, so I wanted to make sure when I came back I was in a physical place where I didn't have any worries or doubts physically."

Stokes takes partial blame for some of players' comments

Head coach Brendon McCullum said on Tuesday that he wanted England to reconnect with fans and show more "humility", feeling that certain comments from players in the media have turned supporters off.

Stokes added that chats had been had about being "smarter" while saying he takes some of the responsibility for his team-mates' errors in that regard.

"The messaging we have delivered for the last few years has been for multiple reasons. The words we say mean bigger things in our minds, me and Baz [McCullum] in particular.

"Sometimes when those comments we say come across in the media from some of the other lads they get heavily taken out of context.

"I totally understand why that may annoy or frustrate fans. We always want the public to be on our side as we know how much support we get and we value that incredibly.

"But now we have spoken about being a little bit smarter with how we deliver some of the comments.

"I partly take a bit of blame for that - sometimes when I speak and I have got a bigger meaning sometimes not everyone understands the bigger picture."

Stokes: Inevitable that Cook would eventually play for England

The India series this summer is followed by an away Ashes in Australia from November 21, although Stokes insists Zimbabwe is the "sole focus" for now.

Essex seamer Sam Cook will make his debut against Zimbabwe after claiming 321 first-class wickets at an average under 20, while Nottinghamshire quick Josh Tongue will return to the side for the first time in almost two years after hamstring and pectoral injuries.

The duo will join Stokes and Gus Atkinson in the pace attack.

Stokes added: "We knew [Tongue] was good, but it took him to play Test cricket for us to understand actually how good he is.

"I think for him it's going to be a big, big relief that he was able to get back out on the field and now he sees himself walking back out on the field for England again.

"Cook has been spoken about in meetings and stuff for a long time because his record speaks for itself but it was all about timing for us.

"When the time was right is obviously now because the skills he has are going to complement the whole bowling group, especially what we put out this week with Tongue, Gus and myself, who bowl a little bit quicker.

"I thought it was inevitable and it was just a matter of time when Cook played for England, but the timing was always going to be a key thing for me, in particular."

England have recently risen to second in the ICC Test rankings but Stokes is not happy to stop there: "When that came out, I did send Baz and Keysy [managing director of men's cricket Rob Key] a text saying, 'right, we've got one more place to go.'"

Watch England's four-day Test match against Zimbabwe live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am on Thursday (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more with NOW.

England men's Tests this summer ☀️

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports

• vs Zimbabwe: Thursday May 22-Sunday May 25 - Trent Bridge
• vs India: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 - Headingley
• vs India: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 - Edgbaston
• vs India: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 - Lord's
• vs India: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 - Old Trafford
• vs India: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 - The Kia Oval

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 🏏

All times UK and Ireland

• First Test: Friday November 21-Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) - Optus Stadium, Perth
• Second Test: Thursday December 4-Monday December 8 (4.30am) - The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Test: Wednesday December 17-Sunday December 21 (12am) - Adelaide Oval
• Fourth Test: Thursday December 25-Monday December 29 (11.30pm) - Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Fifth Test: Sunday January 4-Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) - Sydney Cricket Ground