Ben Stokes suffered an injury scare on the fourth morning of the Christchurch Test, pulling out of his second over after three balls and grimacing as he retook his place in the field.
He instantly pulled up after delivery and took little time to take his sweater from the umpire and hand the ball to Gus Atkinson. While he stayed on the field rather than leaving to receive treatment, England will be concerned about Stokes’ fitness for the next two Tests. All three games are back to back.
The England captain has struggled with a succession of injuries in recent years, regularly playing as a specialist batter only. He missed Sri Lanka’s tour of England and the first Test in Pakistan with a hamstring injury.
Stokes was in the midst of his 20th over of the game, the most he has bowled since the first Test in Pakistan in 2022, almost exactly two years ago.
Stokes’ injury is unlikely to affect the result at Christchurch, with New Zealand eight down and leading by a slender margin. If he is unable to bowl, or has to sit out entirely for the next Test, England can either push Chris Woakes up to No.7 and add one of their back-up bowlers to the XI, or hand a debut to reserve wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, allowing Ollie Pope to return to his role as a specialist batter, and likely as a No.3 as well.
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