Stokes, who missed most of the IPL 2023 season with CSK, broke his silence about his injury-plagued season and compared the role he played in the final IPL to that of former England captain John Terry.

I played a little bit of John Terry’s role in winning the IPL, he joked while talking to the press at Lord’s.

I think I’d rather play, Stokes said.

Stokes continues to be bothered by nagging injuries. He has played twice this year for the Chennai Super Kings, an Indian Premier League team, and managed to play just one game for it.

I saw this as an opportunity to train rather than play and replenish my strength as the tournament progressed. Once you get to a tournament, you’re already playing and traveling and stuff. So I was able to turn a frustrating situation into a positive one because I was able to focus on the right training, whether it was technical bat work or fitness, gym sessions and being able to focus on something else.

And it was a really good way to get through that long period where I had something to focus on, as opposed to the frustration of not playing. So looking back, it’s disappointing to have only played two games, but I was able to do something else afterwards. Sitting here today, I think it might have been a blessing in disguise — every cloud has a silver lining, Stokes said.