England Test captain Ben Stokes, recovering from an injury, is cautious of rushing back his comeback during England’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan.
Stokes, playing in the Hundred for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2021, suffered a hamstring injury while attempting a single for his side, Northern Superchargers. He had to be carried off the field and was ruled out of the subsequent three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home.
With England playing their next Test series against Pakistan from October 7, Stokes mentioned he doesn’t want to rush his comeback as he continues to recover from a torn left hamstring.
"The recurrence rate of these injuries is 50%, which is quite high. I'd rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse and then putting myself out of the game for longer," the England Test captain said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.
Stokes added: I'm just making sure that I'm doing everything right and everything I possibly can to try and give myself a chance to being fit for that first Test. I got told straight away that, within a couple of days, you'll feel good as gold. That doesn't mean that it's healed. So you have to be careful."
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He will assume the role in white-ball cricket from January 2025.
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Injuries have been a part of Stokes’ career
Over the years, he has battled a recurring knee injury that restricted him from bowling long spells. In England's 3-0 Test win against West Indies earlier, Stokes successfully sent down some overs after undergoing surgery during the English winter. In his absence, vice-captain Ollie Pope filled in as the stand-in skipper for England against Sri Lanka.
Though he was not a part of the series, Stokes has travelled with the England squad for his rehab with the medical team.
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