Star English all-rounder Ben Stokes has announced to take an indefinite break from all formats of cricket. The cricketer has decided to prioritize his mental wellbeing.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement that Stokes also needed a break “to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month.”
Stokes, who is currently the world’s number-6th all-rounder in ODIs, struggled with a finger injury throughout the summer. His injury healed much slower than anticipated yet he returned to England duty captaining a second-string team to a 3-0 ODI series win against Pakistan.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the decision comes into effect immediately which means Ben will not be a part of the forthcoming ICC World Test Championship series against India. Craig Overton has replaced the allrounder in the squad for the five-Test series.
Stokes has been struggling in his private life for at least the past year. His father Ged died in December last year after suffering from brain cancer during the final year of his life. He also missed two of England’s Tests against Pakistan last summer to see his family in New Zealand.
Moreover, he had to spend most of the last year away from home and live in bio-secure environments with the England cricket squad and with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
The Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket Ashley Giles said the all-rounder has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.
He added that spending significant amounts of time away from family with minimal freedoms could be extremely challenging.
“The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone’s wellbeing. Ben will be given as long as he needs and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future,” Ashley said.
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