Ben Stokes promised to return stronger as the England Test captain was declared out of action for at least three months with a torn hamstring, saying, "so much more blood, sweat and tears to go through for my team."
The 33-year-old who suffered an injury during the third Test in Hamilton in England's recent 2-1 Test series victory over New Zealand will undergo surgery in January.
"England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months after further assessments confirmed he has torn his left hamstring. The Durham all-rounder will undergo surgery in January," England Cricket said in a statement.
It is Stokes' second hamstring injury in the second half of 2024, having also been carried off playing in England's Hundred competition, which kept him out of the home Test series of Sri Lanka and the first Test on tour in Pakistan.
"Something else to beat… carry on then!!!!!!!! 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. There's a reason why I have a Phoenix permanently inked on my body. See you on the field to. some shit up," Stokes posted on X.
With the injury, Stokes Test career seems largely unaffected, with England not playing red-ball cricket until late May, and they are hosting Zimbabwe in a one-off Test there at Trent Bridge.
Already, Stokes had been out of England's ODI squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in February.
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