England captain Ben Stokes sustained a hamstring injury on the third day of the final Test match against New Zealand in Hamilton.
The injury occurred when Stokes pulled up midway through an over while bowling to New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra at Seddon Park.
The 33-year-old immediately clutched his left hamstring in apparent discomfort and walked off the field to receive medical treatment.
This is the same hamstring Stokes injured during The Hundred in August, which had previously forced him to miss England’s opening ICC World Test Championship contest against Pakistan in Multan earlier this October.
As the skipper departed, England’s Jacob Bethell stepped in to complete the remainder of the over, with Ollie Pope assuming the captaincy duties in the absence of Stokes.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement confirming that Stokes would not return to the field in the current innings.
"England captain Ben Stokes is currently receiving treatment for a left hamstring issue. He will not return to the field in this innings and will undergo further assessment to determine his availability to bat in England's second innings," the ECB said.
Fortunately, England’s next international match is over a month away, which may provide Stokes with ample time to recover.
England's next set of fixtures involves a series of eight white-ball matches, including five T20Is and three ODIs against India, starting from January 23.
In the ongoing three-match Test series, England, having won the first two matches, are set a mammoth target of 658 runs to complete a 3-0 series whitewash over New Zealand.
New Zealand were bowled out for 453 in their second innings, following England’s poor first innings total of just 143 runs after New Zealand had posted 347.
Kane Williamson was the standout performer for the hosts, scoring 156 runs, with solid support from Will Young and Daryl Mitchell, who each contributed 60 runs.
Mitchell Santner chipped in with 49 runs, while Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell added 44 runs each.
- Ben Stokes
