Hamstring injury became a nightmare for English Test Captain Ben Stokes last year; before returning to the playing XI in the New Zealand series, Stokes was out of the squad due to a hamstring issue.
Stokes pulled up the same hamstring, he tore in August when batting for the Northern Superchargers against the Manchester Originals in the Hundred, which sidelined him for two months from the action. The incident took place in the second delivery of the 56th over of New Zealand’s second innings.
Stokes, who was bowling from the City End, put his hand on his face and continued heading towards the team dressing room, which was located at the newly renamed Tim Southee End. New Zealand was ahead by 409 at the time, with left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell completing the over.
However, at that time English dressing room was thinking that the injury would be severe to keep their captain out of the action for the entire game. But at the end of tea, ECB updated Stokes will not return to the field for New Zealand’s second innings while he is treated, and a decision on whether he will bat will be made later.
Stokes bowled 36.2 overs in the Hamilton Test, his most since Trent Bridge in 2022. On day one, he bowled 23 overs, the most he has ever done in a single day in his career.
After struggling to perform well as an allrounder, this series was a pleasant return to the Stokes of old as the English captain has seven dismissals with an average of 36.85 from 66.1 overs, his highest as captain, and a batting average of 52.66 from four innings.
Now, the 33-year-old allrounder has to go through another phase of rehabilitation. After Hamilton Test, England’s next Test match isn’t until May 22. But Stokes’s franchise cricket commitments could be in trouble as he had signed a lucrative £800,000 deal with MI Cape Town in the SA20, which begins on January 9.
Ben Stokes signed a two-year central contract in October, which gave ECB the authority to withdraw Stokes from the tournament entirely, even if he could gain health before the end of the group stages.
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