Further Stokes blow as Test captain learns injury fate
England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes to miss significant time with torn hamstring.
England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of action for at least three months after confirmation of a torn hamstring sustained on tour in New Zealand.
The all-rounder broke down with the injury during the third Test in Hamilton, with further post-tour assessments confirming its severity.
The 33-year-old will undergo surgery in January though there are hopes that his Test career is largely unaffected, with the team not playing red-ball cricket until late May, when they host Zimbabwe for a one-off Test at Trent Bridge. Stokes had already been left out of England's ODI squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in February.
“Something else to overcome … go on then!” Stokes posted to X on Monday night.
“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."
Watch: Ben Stokes on the attack at Cricket World cup 2023
Ben Stokes hit 84 from 76.
It's the second hamstring injury for Stokes in the second half of 2024, having also been carried off playing in England's Hundred competition, which forced him out of the home Test series of Sri Lanka and the first Test on tour in Pakistan.
England sit in sixth on the World Test Championship table for the 2023-2025 cycle, acquiring 43.18% of possible points in 22 Test matches, and unable to reach the Final at Lord's in June.
Watch: Ben Stokes' jaw-dropping catch from Cricket World Cup 20219