Smith Wary Of Playing Out-Of-Practice Stokes

Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith is wary of fielding a rusty Ben Stokes in Sunday’s clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad even though the inaugural champions badly need to revive their sagging Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign.

England all-rounder Stokes completes his six-day quarantine period on Saturday, after arriving in the United Arab Emirates from spending time with his family in New Zealand.

“Stokes hasn’t had a lot of practice,” Smith said after his team succumbed to their fourth successive defeat in Friday’s contest against table-toppers Delhi Capitals in Sharjah.

“He gets out of quarantine tomorrow, so we’ll see if he plays the day after tomorrow,” said the Australian.

Rajasthan began their bid for a second IPL title with back-to-back victories before their campaign stuttered.

“Not playing good enough over the full 40 overs,” Smith said. “We are doing some good things in patches, but unfortunately not executing well under pressure.”

Reuters