Injury blow for England with skipper hurting hamstring against New Zealand
England's inspirational skipper could be set for a stint on the sidelines after he injured his troublesome hamstring against New Zealand.
England have confirmed skipper Ben Stokes injured his hamstring during the third day of his side's Test match against New Zealand in Hamilton.
Stokes clutched his left hamstring after pulling up sore midway through an over when bowling to New Zealand youngster Rachin Ravindra at Seddon Park and immediately left the field to receive treatment.
Tough news to take 😩
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 16, 2024
Wishing you all the best in your recovery, Ben ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2vAbmWaIuT
It is the same hamstring Stokes injured during The Hundred in August and that forced the all-rounder to miss the opening ICC World Test Championship contest against Pakistan in Multan during October.
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While it is unknown whether Stokes will attempt to bat during his side's second innings in Hamilton or how long the 33-year-old will be sidelined for, it is more than one month until England are fixtured to play their next international match.
England are fixtured to play a total of eight white-ball contests in the lead-up to next year's ICC Champions Trophy event, with a five-match T20I series and three-game ODI series against India commencing from January 23.