England head coach Brendon McCullum says Ben Stokes will bowl at ‘some stage’ during the Ashes

England will begin their Test summer against Ireland at Lord’s on Thursday, still unsure about the availability of Ben Stokes as a bowler due to his problematic left knee.

The England captain will only bowl if absolutely necessary during the four-day test. And with Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson wrapped in wadding until the Ashes kick off on June 16, the seam attack remains in the hands of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts. Jack Leach provides the spin option.

Head coach McCullum said England would continue to monitor the fitness of Stokes, who threw just one over in the two games he played during an injury-stricken stint for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

“At some point in the summer he’ll definitely bowl, but whether it’s this one or not, I’m not sure,” McCullum said.

“He’s found a way to be successful in tough circumstances outside the home with a slightly unbalanced side because he makes guys believe in their own abilities and do things they might not even think are possible.” If he can bowl fantastically then that helps us a lot. If not, someone else will have to take the plunge.’

Jonny Bairstow IS seeded to play his first Test against Ireland in nearly nine months this week

Stokes could fall as low as No. 7 against Ireland if England re-integrates Jonny Bairstow, who has not played Test cricket for nearly nine months after breaking his leg playing golf, but will keep the wicket at Lord’s after being left out by Ben Foakes.

“It was a very difficult decision and in this group sometimes you just have bad luck,” said McCullum. In this case, Foakesy was just unlucky. He’s done really well for us and he still has a big role to play in this team going forward.

“He was great when I spoke to him. Of course he was disappointed, but you never know when he’ll be called up again.

“I hate comparisons because they are very different types of players. But we felt Johnny was a commodity that was very rare, and he deserves his place on the sidelines. The fact that he bets on six or seven certainly makes it very strong.’

McCullum backed Harry Brook to leave behind an indifferent IPL campaign and rediscover the form that took him four centuries in five Tests over the winter in Pakistan and New Zealand.

Brook scored a spectacular 55-ball century for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in April, but otherwise only scored 90 runs in 10 IPL innings.

“Brooky will be fine,” McCullum said. “He has had a remarkable start to his international career, and while there may have been some pain in the short term, there is also long term gain from those experiences. He’s a pretty simple lad, old Brooky, so he’ll keep it pretty straight.’

The England coach also reiterated his support for opener Zak Crawley, whose test average fell to 27 over the winter and passed 50 just 10 times in his 61 test runs.

“As I’ve said time and time again, he’s a rare talent,” McCullum said. “He’s not always going to be a consistent type of player, but we feel he has something very capable of being successful at this level, and he’s played important punches for us. I have every confidence that Zak will do well throughout the series.”

England head coach backed Harry Brook to put an indifferent IPL campaign behind him

This week marks the first anniversary of the Bazball revolution that transformed England’s Test team, with Stokes and McCullum chasing their 11th win out of 13. At the time, England scored an over -1.20 with 4.76 faster than Australia, the next fastest-scoring team in the world.

But McCullum insisted England is less focused on run rates than on “being present in the moment and making good decisions with clear mind”. He added, “There is no fear of failure. It’s about getting out there and sticking to our skills, no matter how big the price.”

Asked if England’s positive approach could work against an Australian side who have only lost a Test series to India in the last five years, he replied: “They will be a formidable challenge for us, but it’s a challenge we really looking forward to. Unpleasant. Isn’t that what you want to exercise for?

“You want to play against the best, in the biggest series and on the biggest stage, and there’s no greater opportunity than what lies ahead in the next six to eight weeks.”