England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out action for the next three months at least. He has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Stokes had walked off during the third day’s play of the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. After further assessments, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that he has torn his left hamstring and will undergo surgery for the same next month.
He pulled up after delivering the second ball of the 56th over of New Zealand’s second innings and immediately felt the back of his left thigh before eventually leaving the field. It’s the same hamstring he tore in August this year while featuring in the Hundred for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. Stokes wasn’t picked in the ICC Champions Trophy squad as well by England confirming that injury was more serious than initially thought.
The all-rounder is also set to miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) having not registered for the mega auction. England have a one-off Test match against Zimbabwe in May. However, Stokes’ major international comeback could be against India during the home summer when the two teams are scheduled to face each other in five Tests. It is also the start of the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle which will run until 2027.
Meanwhile, after the latest injury setback, Stokes has confirmed indirectly that he isn’t retiring anytime soon as ‘there is so much left in the tank’ right now. “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 fuck some shit up,” his tweet on X read.