The Hundred: Ben Stokes sustains hamstring injury

The recent development at Old Trafford on Sunday evening, which is also the venue for the first Test between England and Sri Lanka on August 21, has delivered a grievous blow to English cricket and its supporters. The misfortune occurred as England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes, sustained an injury while batting.

The events that unfolded on the 12th delivery of the run-chase between the Manchester Originals and the Northern Superchargers proved to be excruciatingly distressing for Ben Stokes. As he pulled his left hamstring, he collapsed in sheer agony and frustration. Promptly, Harry Booker, the strength and conditioning coach, and James Pipe, the physiotherapist, rushed onto the field to administer immediate care. After assisting Stokes back to the Superchargers’ dugout, supporting his weight, they had him transferred onto a stretcher and wheeled towards an awaiting ambulance.

Approximately an hour later, Stokes reappeared in the dugout, albeit reliant on crutches, as he extended his hand to the Originals’ squad. This occurred after the visitors’ exhilarating triumph, clinched by Nicholas Pooran’s scintillating innings of 66 runs from just 33 deliveries, the highlight of the southpaw’s performance being a towering strike that soared an astonishing 113 meters off the willow.

The Superchargers’ captain, Harry Brook, offered further updates, and his reaction unequivocally conveyed the severity of the injury.

“It doesn’t look great, unfortunately. I think he’ll be getting a scan tomorrow and we’ll see how he is,” stated Brook, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Superchargers maintained a more measured tone regarding Stokes’ injury, confirming that additional updates on the situation would be disseminated on Monday.

“Ben Stokes is having his hamstring assessed. Further updates will be available tomorrow [Monday],” mentioned the liaison.

Turning to updates concerning the Sri Lanka series, England are already contending with the absence of Zak Crawley, who is sidelined due to a fractured finger. In place of Crawley, Dan Lawrence is poised to open the batting, while Jordan Cox has been summoned as a supplementary batting resource to the squad. Should Stokes be deemed unfit for participation, Ollie Pope, the current vice-captain, would be poised to be the candidate to assume the captaincy for the first time in his international career.