New Delhi: Injury prone England Test skipper Ben Stokes has received a fresh setback as he has been ruled out of action for three months with a torn left hamstring.
The all-rounder sustained the injury during the third Test against New Zealand last month as his team completed a 2-1 series victory last week.
Stokes left the field on the third day of England’s 423-run loss at Seddon Park, having pulled up after the second ball of the 56th over of New Zealand’s second innings.
It was his 13th over of the innings and third of the day as he clutched the back of his left thigh after bowling a bouncer to Rachin Ravindra.
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
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) December 23, 2024
The 33-year-old had torn the same hamstring in August while batting in The Hundred competition for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. It kept him on the sidelines for two months then, forcing him to miss four Test matches.
He underwent a scan after returning home following which the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the recurrence of the tear. “The Durham all-rounder will undergo surgery in January,” the ECB said in a statement.
‘So much more left in tank’
Stokes put up a defiant message on social media after his latest injury woe. “Something else to overcome…go on then!”, he wrote on his X account.
“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.”
England’s next red-ball assignment is a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May followed by a much-anticipated five-match home series against India in July and August.
Ben Stokes sustained the injury during the third Test against New Zealand last month as his team completed a 2-1 series victory last week Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
