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 .