England Test captain Ben Stokes has vehemently denied allegations of prioritising The Hundred over County Championship matches. The star all-rounder took to social media to express his disappointment over the accusations and reaffirmed his commitment to representing his county. Notably, Stokes sustained a hamstring injury during a recent The Hundred match between the Northern Superchargers and the Manchester Originals.
Ben Stokes ruled out of Test series
Scans confirmed that Ben Stokes' hamstring injury was severe, forcing him to withdraw from the Test series against Sri Lanka. The England captain will be sidelined for an extended period as he recovers from the injury.
Journalist criticises Ben Stokes
Scott Wilson, a writer for a UK publication, harshly criticised Ben Stokes for prioritizing The Hundred over County Championship matches. He described The Hundred as a "circus" and labeled the situation as "utterly farcical." Wilson pointed out the inconsistency of allowing Stokes to participate in The Hundred while missing crucial County Cricket matches
"So Ben Stokes isn't allowed to play any county cricket for #Durham during the summer, but he's fine to mess about in the circus that is the Hundred, rupturing his hamstring and ruling him out for the rest of the summer. Utterly farcical," Scott Wilson wrote X (formerly known as Twitter).
Ben Stokes slams journalist over claims of prioritised The Hundred over County cricket
Ben Stokes responded swiftly to the criticism, refuting the claims that he prioritised The Hundred over County Championship cricket. He clarified that he had participated in three County Championship matches for Durham during the summer, countering the journalist's accusation.
"Chief Sports Writer??? I played 3 Championship games for Durham this year," Stokes replied.
Ben Stokes' absence to impact England
Ben Stokes, who missed the IPL and T20 World Cup to focus on regaining fitness, played three County Championship matches as preparation for the English summer. Despite taking 18 wickets, including a five-for, his batting form was inconsistent. His absence due to a hamstring injury is a significant loss for England. Moeen Ali has acknowledged that Stokes' impact extends beyond his batting, affecting both captaincy and bowling. The team management will need to carefully consider their options to fill the void left by the all-rounder.
“First of all, once you lose a player like Stokes, you are not only losing a batter, you are losing the captain, losing another bowler – the whole balance of the team is now messed up a bit actually,” Moeen said.
“Who to bring in, how to balance the side, it is going to be hard work, but I am sure they have already decided or come up with a plan," he added.
Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of the English summer due to a hamstring injury sustained during a Hundred match. This unfortunate setback means he will be absent for his first Test series as England captain. Stokes is targeting a return to fitness for England's tour of Pakistan in October. In his absence, Ollie Pope will take over as England captain for the upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The series is set to begin at Old Trafford on August 21, with the remaining matches taking place at Lord's and The Oval.
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