Huge blow for England as skipper Stokes ruled out due to hamstring injury

London [UK], December 24 (ANI): England men's captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of action for at least three months following a torn hamstring sustained during the Test series against New Zealand away from home, as per ICC.
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 have 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," he added.
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 per cent of possible points in 22 Test matches, and unable to reach the Final at Lord's in June next year.
Stokes is the 10th highest run-getter of the ongoing WTC cycle, scoring 1,007 runs in 18 Tests and 32 innings at an average of 33.56, with a century and seven fifties. His best score is 155. He has also taken 16 wickets at an average of 35.50, with best figures of 3/5.
In the three-match series against NZ, which England won 2-1, marking their first-ever Test series win in NZ since 2008, skipper Stokes scored 158 runs in three matches and four innings at an average of 52.66, with a solitary half-century and best score of 80. He also took seven wickets. (ANI)