Ben Stokes tore his hamstring during England’s recent series win over New Zealand and faces a race against time to be fully fit for what’s set to be a huge year of Test cricket
England Test captain Ben Stokes has vowed to overcome his latest injury setback after it was confirmed that he’ll be out for three months once he undergoes surgery.
Stokes, 33, will go under the knife after tearing his left hamstring during England’s recent series win over New Zealand. The Durham all-rounder is expected to be ruled out until the springtime, missing England’s T20 and ODI tour of India and their Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan, matches which could’ve marked his return to one-day cricket.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Stokes pledged to come back in style, with 2025 set to be a huge year for English cricket. “Something else to overcome… go on then!!!!!!!!” he wrote.
“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*** some s*** up.”
Stokes will lead England into two mouth-watering five-match Test series next year; hosting India over the summer before travelling to Australia for the Ashes in the winter. He retired from T20s and ODIs for the second time last year, having made a brief return to the limited-over format to be part of England’s failed attempt to retain the Cricket World Cup.
In September, Stokes confirmed that he’d ‘definitely’ return to one-day cricket if new boss Brendon McCullum, who also coaches the Test team, called on him. “If I get the call and [Baz] says, ‘Do you want to come and play?’ Then obviously, it’s definitely going to be a yes,” he told Sky Sports.
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“But I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t because I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it. I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, and I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game.
“But to be honest, we’ve not even spoken about anything like that whatsoever. I think he’s just letting me concentrate on what I need to concentrate on, especially around the Test team.”
Stokes had surgery on his knee in November 2023 in order to be fit for England’s five-match series away to India earlier this year. He later missed out on four Tests in the autumn after he was injured during The Hundred. Stokes’ fitness record is a huge talking point ahead of the next Ashes, with fast-bowling duo Jofra Archer and Mark Wood also hoping to overcome long-term setbacks and earn a place in McCullum’s red-ball squad.
The ECB said regarding Stokes: “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.”
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