Bowling from the City End, Stokes placed his hand over his face and continued walking towards the team dressing room at the newly named Tim Southee End. At that time New Zealand were leading by 409 runs as left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell ended the over.
An ECB update at tea time said Stokes would not return to the field for New Zealand’s second innings during treatment, pending further assessment on whether he would bat. Chasing a mammoth target of 658, England ended the day at 18 for 2, although they have already sealed the series after winning the first two Tests.
“It’s the same hamstring that I had before,” England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick confirmed. “He is doing very well, he is bowling and playing the role he does as an all-rounder and captain.
“We didn’t see it happening, you don’t have any inkling of things like that…usually they just happen.”
Stokes’s 36.2 overs in Hamilton were the most he had bowled in a Test since 40 (also against New Zealand) at Trent Bridge in 2022. On the first day, his 23 overs were the most bowled in a single day, divided between spells of eight, eight and seven. It is worth noting that England’s first innings collapse of 143 meant their fast bowlers got only 34.5 overs of rest after New Zealand’s opening effort of 97.1 all out. The hosts went ahead in their second innings and kept England on the field for 101.4 overs, eventually ending with 453 runs.
In this series, Stokes has been out seven times in 66.1 overs at an average of 36.85 – his most as captain – with a batting average of 52.66 in four innings. This series was a welcome return to form for the old Stokes, after struggling to fulfill the all-rounder role effectively.
Only last evening (Sunday), assistant coach Paul Collingwood had praised Stokes’ return as a charismatic all-rounder. After today’s events, Trescothick said that Stokes may need to improve his bowling going forward.
“I still think during this series he has shown signs that by getting back into fitness he will reach that level. Maybe it’s a case of you being able to manage his bowling load and him bowling that amount. Doesn’t do as much as he potentially does in this game.
“Injuries are going to happen, OK? They’re always going to be a part of the game. He’s worked dramatically well on his fitness. He’s tried to get into the shape he can be in. He bowled 24 balls in the first innings And he was bowling very well.” something in this (second) innings [12.2 overs]We’ll just have to see how we manage it.”
Stokes looked dejected as he walked off, having just recovered from the physical and psychological toil caused by the early hamstring injury that derailed his return to full fitness in the summer.
Coming into the domestic summer following successful knee surgery in October 2023, he bowled 49 overs in three Test matches against the West Indies, taking five wickets, taking him to over 200 in his career. The tear later set him back, ruling him out of the season-ending three-match series against Sri Lanka and the first Test of the Pakistan tour.
Stokes returned for the final two matches of that series but England lost both, losing 2–1 after winning the first Test. He admitted that his quest to achieve perfect fitness led him to “physically exhaust and destroy myself”. When the team gathered in Queenstown at the start of the series, Stokes apologized for the negative impact he was having on the team atmosphere.
Ahead of this final Test, Stokes was optimistic that he was in good shape with a better understanding of his body.
“I have to work a lot harder on the physical side of the job to be able to go out and do my job but the last two games I’ve had the chance to bowl a lot of overs and I’m more confident about achieving a lot.” Mantra in a day.
“This is how far I got before I pulled my hamstring. I bowled well in the summer but I had a setback but now I’ve come out of that and am worried about anything happening again. As You get older you think a little more about your body but I work harder because I have to.”
This latest setback also complicates any potential white-ball comeback for Stokes. After Test head coach Brendon McCullum takes charge of the limited-overs side, there is uncertainty over whether he will make himself available for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Now, perhaps, the decision has been made for him.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
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