Stokes in low-key return ahead of Ashes
Rain has delayed Ben Stokes' low-key return to cricket ahead of next month's Ashes opener at the Gabba.
The England allrounder arrived at Peter Burge Oval in the Brisbane seaside suburb of Wellington Point on Tuesday with Test teammates Joe Root, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.
No more than 50 curious spectators gathered at Redlands Cricket Club to watch the tourists ahead of the five-Test series.
The England v England Lions three-day match will be Stokes' first game of cricket since July, when he opted to take an indefinite break to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
Initially left out of England's touring squad, Stokes was later included in a massive boost to the side's chances of winning back the Ashes.
Stokes, whose last played a Test match in India in March, had only recently returned to fitness after surgery on a finger injury before stepping away again.
He also missed a majority of last summer's Test series against Pakistan in order to be with his father in New Zealand, who died in December.
England were set to bat first on Tuesday against the Lions before rain returned, forcing the covers on and players back inside.
But the forecast is encouraging with 90 overs expected to be bowled on Tuesday.
Anderson, 39, warmed up with the squad but has not been named to play in the fixture.
Those members of the Ashes touring party that competed in the Twenty20 World Cup campaign remain in quarantine on the Gold Coast for another week.
