England captain limps off field 10 days before first Test against Sri Lanka
Ben Stokes retired hurt with an injury during the run chase • Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Ben Stokes appears to be a major doubt for England’s first Test against Sri Lanka after retiring hurt with a hamstring injury while playing for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred on Sunday evening.
Stokes ran through for a quick single during the Superchargers’ chase against Manchester Originals at Emirates Old Trafford and pulled up injured after completing the run. He was helped off the field by their medical staff and was seen clutching his hamstring on his left leg.
He was at the non-striker’s end when Ollie Robinson, his Superchargers team-mate, attempted a scoop which he mistimed into the leg side, and scampered through for a single. He appeared to pull his muscle as he made his ground then collapsed to the ground and threw his gloves off in frustration. Harry Booker (strength and conditioning coach) and James Pipe (physiotherapist) immediately ran on to provide treatment.
After Booker and Pipe helped him back to the Superchargers dugout, supporting his weight, Stokes was placed onto a stretcher and wheeled towards an ambulance. Around an hour later, he was sitting back in the dugout. A Superchargers spokesperson said: “Ben Stokes is having his hamstring assessed. Further updates will be available from tomorrow [Monday].”
The injury appears to put Stokes’ chances of playing in the first Test – which starts on August 21 in Manchester – in significant jeopardy. He has managed a chronic left-knee injury throughout the second half of his international career but returned to bowling earlier this year after undergoing surgery over the English winter.
Stokes was due to play four group-stage games in the Hundred between England’s series against West Indies and Sri Lanka, with the possibility of staying with the Superchargers if they qualified for the knockout stages. He was dismissed first-ball by Tim Southee in his first appearance, made 2 off four balls in a rain-ruined match in Cardiff on Thursday, and now appears certain to miss their final group fixture against London Spirit on Tuesday.
England are already missing Zak Crawley for the Sri Lanka series due to a fractured finger. Dan Lawrence is set to open the batting in his absence, with Jordan Cox called into their squad as batting cover last week. Ollie Pope is their vice-captain, and would be the strong favourite to lead England for the first time in international cricket in the event that Stokes is ruled out.
The Sri Lanka series is squeezed into a short timeframe, with two three-day gaps between Tests. England are then due to arrive in Pakistan in early October ahead of a three-match series which starts in Multan on October 7.
More to follow…
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
