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Stokes' last Test in March was during England's 3-1 series loss in India
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon anticipates England all-rounder Ben Stokes will play some part at the 2021-22 Ashes series.
England's 30-year-old Stokes was not included in the squad because he is currently recovering from an index finger surgery. He had taken an indefinite hiatus from cricket in July in order to take care of his mental health.
He has uploaded videos of himself training, and claims he is pain-free.
"I expect him to come. I wish he was. Lyon said, "You want to play against some of the best players in this world."
Stokesy is the greatest all-rounder in the entire world. You want to play against him because he's the X-factor.
The 8th December is the date for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
Stokes had surgery to his finger in April. In October, he had another operation to remove two screws from his finger and repair scar tissue.
According to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Stokes will undergo intense rehabilitation, but did not give any timeframe for his return from injury or for his mental health break.
Stokes' return has been rumored, however, after Stokes posted videos to social media showing him hitting the nets.
He said, "My progress is that my pain has subsided and I can now hold my bat properly while batting."
He said that he felt "so much more confident now, and I'm only 2 weeks away from my second operation".
In the meantime, Australia's top-order batter Will Pucovski will be back in action for Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match that starts on 5 November.
Pucovski suffered concussion symptoms the 10th consecutive time he was hit during training.
Chris Rogers, Victoria coach, said that he thinks he looks good and is targeting the second Shield match.
"He's a very resilient guy now - you must have something to help you through [these] many setbacks."
Ashes 2021-22 schedule
December
8-12 1st Test, Brisbane (00:00 GMT)
16-20 2nd Test Adelaide (d/n), (04:00 GMT).
26-30 3rd Test, Melbourne (23:30 GMT, 25-29 Dec)
January
5-9 Fourth Test, Sydney (23:30 GMT 4-8 Jan).
14-18 5th Test Perth (02:30 GMT).
