England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of cricket for at least three months due to a torn left hamstring. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the news following a scan upon his return from New Zealand and also stated that the all-rounder will miss the upcoming season in SA20.
Stokes suffered this injury during the third Test between England and New Zealand recently in Hamilton. The all-rounder left the field midway through the match on the third day as England suffered a humiliating 423-run defeat at the hands of the hosts.
He did not even come out to bat as England were bowled out for a meager 234 in their pursuit of the target of 658 runs. However, New Zealand were too good and handed the visitors a crushing defeat.
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Ben Stokes will be ruled out for three months
The extent of Ben Stokes’ injury appears serious as he has been ruled out for a huge three-month period during which he will miss major events such as SA20 and Champions Trophy 2025. He had already been excluded from the England squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 previously. this week due to concerns about his physical condition.
The ECB confirmed that Stokes had not been considered on grounds of detriment. He has been constantly injury prone over the past few years, limiting his overall appearance.
Ben Stokes last played an ODI during the 2023 World Cup in India in November 2023. England had a dismal campaign and were eliminated from the group stage in a tournament they entered as defending champions.
Gutted Ben Stokes expresses frustration
After hearing the news of his unavailability for three months, Stokes was absolutely devastated and took to social media to express his frustration. He states that he still has “blood, sweat and tears” to give to his team and that he will try to return.
“Something else to overcome… go on then!!!!!!!!
“I have a lot more left in this tank and a lot more blood, sweat and tears for my team and this jersey. There’s a reason I have a Phoenix permanently tattooed on my body. See you on the field to f**k some shit,” Stokes posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Something else to overcome…continue then!!!!!!!!
I have a lot more left in this tank and a lot more blood, sweat and tears to go for my team and this jersey.
There’s a reason I have a Phoenix permanently tattooed on my body.See you in the field to fuck a little
-Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) December 23, 2024
It’s the same injury that bothered Stokes during the Hundred season earlier this year when he was playing for Northern Superchargers. During that time, he was ruled out for two months, which included a home Test series against Sri Lanka.
Ben Stokes’ numbers in the New Zealand Test series
During the match in which Stokes was injured, he bowled a total of 36.2 overs, the most he bowled in a Test match since Trent Bridge in 2022, when he bowled 40 overs. He bowled 23 overs on the first day, the most he bowled in a single day.
In the Test series against New Zealand, Ben Stokes took 7 wickets at an average of 36.85 in 66.1 overs. He batted in a new position at number 7 after England decided to make Ollie Pope the wicketkeeper of the series. Stokes was impressive with the bat and scored 158 runs in four innings at an average of 52.66.
