Stokes was stopped on the third day as New Zealand piled up 453 in their second innings, setting England a target of 658. The 33-year-old will undergo a scan on Wednesday morning in Hamilton and had his left thigh heavily bandaged while sat down final day’s game, in which England were bowled out for 234, giving the hosts victory by 423 runs.
After recovering over the last month in New Zealand, Stokes bowled 23 overs on the first day of the third Test, the most in a single day in his entire career, and the 36.2 overs he eventually managed in a Test in more fingers. years.
This latest setback means even more rehabilitation for Stokes, who underwent knee surgery in November 2023 in a bid to return to the bowler he once was. Risking his body is nothing new for him, but as captain he recognized the importance of offering more as a versatile player to give another dynamic to the team.
His on-paper returns in this series (averaging 52.66 with the bat and seven dismissals at 36.85 with the ball) suggested he was heading in the right direction. That’s why he was dejected when he left the field on Monday two balls into his third over of the day.
Stokes, however, is in no mood to adapt his approach going forward. Having overcome the initial disappointment, he is confident that the second time he will get a full return more quickly.
“I worked very hard to put myself in a position to play the role I played in this game,” he said. “And it’s just one of those unfortunate things. But no, I’m not going to hold back.
“Every time you go out on the field as an athlete, you put yourself at risk of injury. Whether you feel good or not. I worked hard to get to where I was in this game in particular with my body. It’s just the law of the grass: the first time in a long time I feel like I’m young again, something happens.
“Obviously, [I was] I was incredibly disappointed to leave yesterday, very emotional about the whole thing.
“You always wonder, ‘Could I have done more? Should I have done this, should I have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep with it and you take the emotion out of it, you realize that when you walk around, you’re always putting yourself at risk for injury.”
“We came here to beat New Zealand,” he said, “a team that wherever you go in the world is very competitive and I knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic victory in India.
“Playing the cricket we did in the first two games was very, very enjoyable. We came here this week with the same attitude, the same mentality, that we always have in the first two games. We just didn’t play anywhere close to our capabilities.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to achieve, we achieved. It’s no small feat to come to New Zealand and beat them because they are a very, very strong team in their home conditions.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor of ESPNcricinfo
