Stokes determined to be better than ever when he makes return

RETURN: Ben Stokes will lead England in their one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge next week.

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ENGLAND'S Test captain Ben Stokes is out to “dominate every situation” this summer and believes he can come back from his latest injury lay-off stronger than ever.

The 33-year-old has not played since tearing his hamstring in New Zealand before Christmas, having previously suffered an identical setback in August.

But while he rushed to get back to fitness first time around, working intensively to make the autumn tour of Pakistan, he has now had a longer period of downtime to get his recovery right.

He will lead the side in their first Test of the season, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge next week, and feels confident his body will allow him to get back to his very best.

“My ethos when I'm injured is I come back fitter than I was before I got injured,” he told Sky Sports in an interview with one of his predecessors as skipper, Nasser Hussain.