Ben Stokes ruled out for three months due to hamstring injury; set to undergo surgery in January

England red-ball skipper Ben Stokes has sustained a tear in his hamstring and will be out for three months. The all-rounder suffered the injury during the recently concluded away series against New Zealand, where he put in a colossal shift with the ball.

Stokes will need surgery to rectify the issue, as it is the same hamstring that was affected during The Hundred 2024 campaign while playing for the Northern Superchargers. On that occasion, he was ruled out for a month and had to miss out on the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

He limped off during the series opener against New Zealand in Christchurch but was adamant about not reducing his bowling workload. The skipper delivered 36.2 overs in the series finale in Hamilton before walking off the field. He clutched his left hamstring on that occasion, and a tear was confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following the scans.

"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," a statement from ECB read (via the official website).

"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 f**k some sh*t up," Stokes posted on X.

Stokes has been left out of England's white-ball squads for the India tour and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Another comeback was on the cards for him, with Brendon McCullum taking up the white-ball coaching duties as well. While fellow senior player Joe Root returned to the squad, Stokes' name was missing.

Ben Stokes set to miss SA20 2025, return expected for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May

Ben Stokes gradually increased his workload ever since resuming to bowl towards the end of the India tour in early 2024. He bowled consistently in the home series against the West Indies and briefly during the tour of Pakistan too.

The injury has ruled out the 33-year-old all-rounder from the third edition of the SA20, scheduled to begin on January 9. 2025. He was set to play for the MI Cape Town but is now likely to return for England's home summer, beginning with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May at Trent Bridge.