Ben Stokes suffers hamstring injury during 3rd Test against NZ
England's cricket captain Ben Stokes has suffered a hamstring injury in the ongoing third Test match against New Zealand. Stokes hurt himself while bowling his 13th over in the second innings at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Stokes is currently being treated for a left hamstring issue and will not return to the field in this innings.
Stokes's participation in doubt
The ECB has said Stokes will be assessed further to see if he is available to bat in England's second innings. Before his injury, Stokes had bowled 36.2 overs in the match, his most in a single Test since bowling against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2022. This isn't the first time Stokes has faced such an issue. He had injured his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers during The Hundred 2024 season.
Stokes's injury history and match performance
Stokes's previous hamstring injury had caused him to miss the home series against Sri Lanka and the first Test against Pakistan. In the current match, England were outplayed by New Zealand after being dismissed for 143 runs in their first innings while New Zealand had posted 347 runs initially. Stokes picked one wicket in the first innings and two more in the second before leaving.
How has the match proceeded?
NZ managed 347/10 while batting first thanks to half-centuries from Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner. England struggled in their first innings and were bowled out for just 143 runs. Matt Henry took four wickets. Despite their mammoth 204-run lead, New Zealand chose not to enforce the follow-on in their second innings. Kane Williamson's 156 meant the hosts finished at 453/10 in their second outing, setting England a target of 658 runs.
