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 after a scan on his return from New Zealand and also stated that the allrounder will miss the upcoming season in SA20.
Stokes suffered this injury during the third Test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton recently. The allrounder 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 didn’t even come out to bat as England were bundled 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 massive defeat.
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Ben Stokes ruled out for three months
The extent of Ben Stokes’ injury seems serious as he has been ruled out for a big period of three months during which he will miss important events like SA20 and Champions Trophy 2025. He had been already excluded from England’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this week due to his fitness concerns.
The ECB confirmed that Stokes had not been considered on the grounds of injury. He has been constantly injury-prone over the last few years, therefore, limiting his overall appearances.
Ben Stokes last played an ODI during the World Cup 2023 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 speaks out his frustration
After hearing the news of his unavailability for three months, Stokes was absolutely gutted and took to social media to speak out his frustration. He claims that he still has “blood sweat and tears” to give to his team and will aim to be back again.
“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**k some s**t up,” Stokes posted on X (formerly Twitter).
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 bodySee you on the field to fuck some shit up
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) December 23, 2024
It is the same injury that troubled 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 when Stokes got injured, he bowled a total of 36.2 overs, the most he has 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 has bowled on a single day.
In the Test series against New Zealand, Ben Stokes picked up 7 wickets at an average of 36.85 in 66.1 overs. He batted at a new position at No. 7 after England decided to make Ollie Pope the wicketkeeper for the series. Stokes was impressive with the bat and scored 158 runs in four innings at an average of 52.66.