England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months due to a torn left hamstring. The all-rounder suffered the injury during the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, where England secured a 2-1 series victory.
The injury comes as a significant blow to Stokes and the England team, as he was already not named in the 15-man squad for next year’s Champions Trophy. The 31-year-old last featured in the 50-over format during the 2023 World Cup, and his absence from the upcoming tournament was attributed to his ongoing fitness concerns.
Unfortunately, Stokes has been plagued by long-term injuries in recent years. In October 2023, following the ODI World Cup, he underwent knee surgery, which required extensive rehabilitation before he could make a comeback. Even during the World Cup, England could not fully utilize his services due to his fitness issues. Earlier this year, in August, Stokes suffered a similar torn hamstring that forced him to miss the remainder of the English summer. Although he managed to return to action, he had to carefully manage his bowling workload. As a precautionary measure, Stokes opted out of the IPL 2024 and did not put his name up for the mega auction to prioritize his fitness.
Prior to the Hamilton Test, Stokes had expressed confidence in his body and the way he managed it. He stated, “I have to work so much harder on the physical side of the job to allow me to go out and do my job but I got a good amount of overs in during the last two games and I am more confident about getting through a lot of spells in a day. That is where I got to before I pulled my hamstring. I bowled nice in the summer, had a setback but now feel out of that and not worrying about anything else happening again. As you get older you think about your body a bit more but I work harder because I have to.”
Despite his optimism, Stokes bowled a significant number of overs in the Hamilton Test, which has now resulted in another long-term injury setback. Consequently, he will miss next year’s Hundred competition, which is set to commence on January 9.
The news of Stokes’ injury will undoubtedly be a cause for concern for the England team management, as they prepare for a busy year of international cricket. The absence of their talismanic all-rounder will require the team to reassess their strategies and find suitable replacements to fill the void left by Stokes.
As Stokes begins his rehabilitation process, the cricketing world will eagerly await his return to full fitness as his presence on the field, both as a captain and an all-rounder, has been instrumental in England’s success across all formats.