'Something else to overcome': Stokes sidelined with injury, to undergo surgery in Jan

LONDON: Ben Stokes vowed to come back stronger after the England Test captain was ruled 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'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.

"Something else to overcome… go on then!!!!!!!! I’ve 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 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, as England is not playing red-ball cricket until late May, when they host Zimbabwe for a one-off Test at Trent Bridge.

Stokes, however, had already been left out of England's ODI squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in February.