Ben Stokes is set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring himself during the third Test in the recent 2-1 series victory in New Zealand, with England to be without their captain
Ben Stokes is set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring himself during the third Test in the recent 2-1 series victory in New Zealand, with England to be without their captain Ben Stokes is set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring himself during the third Test in the recent 2-1 series victory in New Zealand, with England to be without their captain
Ben Stokes will miss at least the next three months after the ECB confirmed the England Test captain had torn his hamstring.
Stokes had led England to a 2-1 series win in New Zealand recently, their first against those opponents since 2008. He suffered his latest injury in a heavy 423-run defeat in the third Test.
The England captain pulled up on the third day, with the 33-year-old deciding against batting on the fourth day. He was sending down his 13th over of the innings, having bowled 23 overs across only three spells on day one.
With England’s next Test not coming until a one-off match against Zimbabwe next May, the recovery time is unlikely to be a real concern regarding red-ball cricket. Before the news of his injury was confirmed, Stokes had been left out of the squad for the one-day international and T20 tour of India and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
A statement read: “England Men’s Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months after further assessments confirmed he has torn his left hamstring.
“The Durham all-rounder will undergo surgery in January. The injury occurred during the third Test in Hamilton, during England’s recent 2-1 Test series victory in New Zealand.”
Stokes shrugged off the latest blow in typically brash fashion after it was confirmed he would need to go under the knife. He tweeted: “Something else to overcome…go on then!!!!!!!! I’ve got so much more left in this tank and so much more blood sweat and tears to go through for my team and this shirt.
“There’s a reason I have a Phoenix permanently inked on my body. See you on the field to f*** some s*** up.”
Stokes addressed his injury following his side’s defeat, admitting his disappointment at suffering yet another issue. He said: “Obviously, I was incredibly disappointed walking off.
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Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
“I was very emotional about the whole thing. You’re asking yourself: ‘Could I have done more? Should have done this, should have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep on it, and you take the emotion out of it, you realise you’re always putting yourself at risk of an injury.
“I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game in particularly with my body. It’s just sod’s law – the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again, something happens. I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game. It’s just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain’t holding back.”
He was happier when looking back on a relatively successful year for his side, who have won nine and lost eight of their 17 Tests. He added: “We came here to beat a team who wherever they go in the world, are very competitive. We knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic win in India.
“To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, same mindset, that we always do in the first two games out here. We just didn’t play anywhere near our capabilities.
“It’s obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to achieve, we managed to achieve. It’s no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them because they’re a very strong team in their home conditions.”
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Mirror – Sport