David Warner praises 'courageous' Ben Stokes for prioritising mental health

Australia's dynamic opener David Warner has heaped praise on star England all-rounder Ben Stokes for prioritising mental health. Stokes had decided to take an indefinite break from the game ahead of the five-match home Test series against Team India in August-September due to mental health issues and at the same time, he was also nursing a finger injury that he had sustained during the first leg of IPL 2021 in April. 

Ben Stokes will be back on the cricket field during the upcoming Ashes 2021 starting December 8.

David Warner welcomes Ben Stokes as he gears up for Ashes 2021 return

"It's great to see him back. It takes a lot of courage to speak up and what he's been through the last 12 months from the highs and the sadness of his father passing away. It's tough to put yourself in someone's shoes who is going through that", said David Warner while interacting in a video posted by cricket.com.au on their official Twitter handle.

"In his recent statement, it was awesome for him to come out and speak to someone, get help and take time out of the game and make it the right call to come down to Australia. He's a competitive cricketer. I feel like he's an outstanding person", he added.

"I played with him in Durham, he's a competitive guy. You want the best team to partake as much as you can. I'm glad he's back up and running playing the game that he enjoys and loves" the southpaw further added.

Ben Stokes injury

Ben Stokes, who had represented the inaugural edition's winners Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 ended up with a broken finger on his left hand while fielding during RR's league game against northern rivals Punjab Kings at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 12. The injury ruled him out for 12 weeks which meant that he could take no further part in the marquee tournament which eventually had to be temporarily suspended on May 4 in wake of the COVID-19 virus. 

While Ben Stokes decided not to feature in the England vs India Test series citing mental health problems, he also made himself unavailable for the recently-concluded second phase of the IPL 2021 and the subsequent ICC T20 World Cup 2021.