[Watch] Great to be back hitting balls" - Ben Stokes after wielding bat for the first time since taking a mental health break

England all-rounder Ben Stokes wielded the bat recently for the first time since taking an indefinite break from cricket due to mental health concerns. He hit a few balls while batting in an indoor facility and looked to be in a good mood while doing so.

Ben Stokes gave fans across the world a glimpse of his latest activity by sharing a mini-clip on his official Instagram account. In the video, fans can see Ben Stokes playing some delightful strokes. He shared the following post and captioned it:

"It’s casual clothes training on a Thursday… Generally my first ball back and this is what happened 🤣 Then a bit of making sure I don’t break my toe. Then eventually hit a nice one. Great to be back hitting balls 👌"

You can watch the video below:

Ben Stokes, though, is still on the sidelines and will miss the upcoming T20 World Cup. He was also not included in the England squad for the Ashes.

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Ben Stokes will come back when he is ready: Chris Silverwood

England team head coach Chris Silverwood recently opened up that he will not put any pressure on Ben Stokes to come back into the side before the all-rounder is ready for a return. In a virtual conference clip uploaded by the ECB, Silverwood spoke about Stokes' competitive cricket return and said:

"I'm gonna go back to my old answer. I'm seriously not going to put any pressure on Ben whatsoever. Ben will come back when he is ready, he'll give me a call. We'll cross that bridge when we come to make plans when necessary. But first and foremost, my first intent is to make sure he's okay from a well-being point of view when he is back to perform."

Ben Stokes has been making steady progress lately as he has been regularly updating fans with posts on his Instagram account. The England team management and his fans will be hoping that Stokes will return to the field soon and mesmerize them with his performances.