Ben Stokes, the captain of the England Test team, announced on Tuesday that he underwent surgery for his damaged hamstring. The 33-year-old all-rounder ripped his left hamstring during the third Test match versus New Zealand in Hamilton during England’s final 2024 match. Ben Stokes’s injury has taken the cricketing community by storm.
Related Match：Test Series England vs New Zealand 12/14 a.m. 03:30 IST
Ben Stokes’s injury needed knee surgery and he had to miss three months of work. At the time of his diagnosis, he said he still had “blood, sweat, and tears” to give to the team ahead of a crucial 12-month period that would involve a five-Test series versus Australia away and India at home.
Ben Stokes’s Knee Surgery Instagram Post
Stokes shared a photo of himself in a car with a leg brace on Instagram on Tuesday. “Bionic Man for a while,” he wrote in the caption.
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Doubts for 2025 Tour
After hurting the same hamstring during the Hundred in August, Stokes missed four straight Test matches. He came back into action as a full-fledged all-rounder against New Zealand. In Hamilton, however, Stokes pulled up in the middle of an over, departed the field, and did not play anymore, proving that the extra burden from bowling was a concern. Ben Stokes’s injury does not look good for the English side that will face India national cricket team in June 2025.
Confidence-Building Message
Speaking after sustaining the injury he promised: “I ain’t holding back. With every setback, I come back stronger. There’s no doubt I’ll be going away from here… and getting myself back to where I was. That’s my job.”
Knee Surgery Forces to Miss Key Competitions
Stokes already missed out on England’s selection for the one-day international Champions Trophy next month, and since there won’t be any Test matches until May, he has time to fully recover before a hectic home summer. Ben Stokes’s knee surgery has forced him to pass up a lucrative £800,000 agreement with MI Cape Town in the SA20, which starts on Thursday, in addition to the Champions Trophy.
Will Ben Stokes play IPL 2025？
A big question raised by fans on his Instagram post was “Will Ben Stokes play IPL 2025? The answer to this is “No”. He has made it clear that he will not participate in the 2025 IPL to look after his fitness and prolong his cricket career.
Explanation for Absence
He said,” There’s just so much cricket. There’s no hiding behind the fact that I’m at the back end of my career. I want to play as long as I possibly can. Looking after my body and taking care of myself as much as I can is key to that.”
Last Ben Stokes in IPL
Interestingly Ben Stokes last appeared in an IPL match back in the 2023 season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He then opted out of the 2024 season and did not enter the auction this season. As per the new IPL rules laid down by BCCI, it is expected that he will not be eligible to play in the 2026 IPL as well.
Fans bombarded Stokes’ Instagram post with supportive messages but were also concerned with the star’s fitness. Ben Stokes’s injury won’t go down well with many English fans as they will be without their star player and skipper for a while.
