Cricket
England Test captain Ben Stokes to undergo surgery in January after tearing his left hamstring; Stokes picked up the injury during England’s tour of New Zealand in December; he has been ruled out for at least three months
Monday 23 December 2024 19:55, UK
Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months due to a torn left hamstring.
The injury occurred while bowling on day three of the third Test in England’s recent 2-1 series victory over New Zealand.
The 33-year-old will undergo surgery in January, just months after he was sidelined by an injury on the same hamstring earlier this year.
Stokes missed out on four Tests after he was injured during The Hundred and has been ruled out of England’s white-ball tour of India next year, as well as the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Stokes had bowled 66.3 overs during the New Zealand away series – his most in a single series as captain.
England’s next Test is not until May 2025 when they face Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
England will also face India at home in a five-match series during the summer before they attempt to regain the Ashes in Australia over the 2025/26 winter.
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Stokes was forced to watch the final stages of his side’s 423-run thrashing by New Zealand in Hamilton from the sidelines and following their defeat he vowed to dig deep on his return from injury.
“No, I ain’t holding back,” Stokes said after the series finale at Seddon Park.
“I was obviously incredibly disappointed walking off the other day, I was very emotional about the whole thing. But you sleep on it, take the emotion out and realise that every time you walk out on the field as an athlete you’re putting yourself at risk of injury.
“I worked really hard to get myself in a position to play the role I did in this game and it’s just sod’s law that the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again something happens.
“Every setback, I come back stronger. There’s no doubt I’ll be going away from here, working hard as I always do and getting myself back to where I was. That’s my job.”
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Stokes’ injury has raised concerns about whether he is fit enough to perform his duties as an all-rounder.
“Because he is a captain and an all-rounder, he is so important to that team, but England are diminished when Stokes can’t bowl and when he misses Test matches,” said Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports News earlier this month.
“I do think there needed to be a conversation in this Test match about him bowling the 37th over when he’s just coming back from a serious hamstring injury.
“Hamstring injuries at that age [33 years old] are recurring and you need him to be firing fit in the summer and next winter.
“At some stage someone just needs to tap him on the shoulder and say: ‘Look I think you’ve done your bit now. I think it’s up to someone else just to carry a burden’.
“The problem with England is that their other seamers were already also struggling and their speeds were down.
“[Brydon] Carse was carrying niggles, [Gus] Atkinson’s speeds were down and [Matthew] Potts was playing in his first game of the series.”
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