In a significant blow to England ahead of their Test series against Sri Lanka, Ben Stokes has suffered a serious hamstring injury while playing for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. Stokes is scheduled for scans on Monday, with speculation suggesting he may miss at least one Test against Sri Lanka.
The injury occurred when Stokes, attempting to steal a quick single during the Superchargers’ chase, pulled his hamstring as he completed the run. He was at the non-striker’s end when Ollie Robinson’s mistimed scoop shot led to a quick call for a run. Stokes responded but collapsed in severe pain after pulling his hamstring. Strength and conditioning coach Harry Booker and physiotherapist James Pipe rushed onto the field to treat him before carrying him off. Later, Stokes was seen on crutches while shaking hands with the Originals squad following the Superchargers’ seven-wicket win.
“It doesn’t look great, unfortunately. I think he’ll be getting a scan tomorrow, and we’ll see how he is,” said Northern Superchargers captain Harry Brook.
This injury is a major setback for both Stokes and England. The England Test captain had only recently resumed bowling after a prolonged break due to a knee injury, but the new hamstring injury may prevent him from bowling again. If Stokes is ruled out, he would join Zak Crawley on the sidelines, who is already set to miss the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a fractured finger. In Stokes’ absence, if necessary, vice-captain Ollie Pope could take over the captaincy.
England squad for the Sri Lanka series: Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
