Stokes scored 453 runs in his second innings on the third day and gave England a target of 658 runs. The 33-year-old Stokes will have a scan in Hamilton on Wednesday morning and was left with a heavy bandage on his left thigh as he sat out. The final day’s play, in which England were bowled out for 234, gave the hosts a 423-run win.
Having established himself over the past month in New Zealand, Stokes bowled 23 overs on the first day of the third Test – the most in a day in his career – with 36.2 overs the last time he bowled more than two overs in a Test. Year.
This latest setback means even more rehabilitation for Stokes, who has undergone knee surgery in November 2023 so he can become the bowler he once was. Putting his body on the line is nothing new for him, but as captain he acknowledged the importance of offering more as an all-rounder to give the team more dynamism.
His returns on paper in this series – seven dismissals at an average of 52.66 with the bat and 36.85 with the ball – showed that he was moving in the right direction. This is why on Monday he left the field after just two balls of the third over of the day, due to which he was disappointed.
However, Stokes is in no mood to adapt his approach going forward. Having recovered from the initial disappointment, he is confident that full returns should come quickly the second time around.
“I worked really hard to get in position to play the role I played in this game,” he said. “And it’s one of those unfortunate things. But no, I won’t back down.
“Every time you take the field as an athlete, you’re putting yourself at risk for injury. Whether you feel good or you don’t feel good. That’s where I got to in this sport. I worked hard to get there.” It’s just the law of the land especially with my body – for the first time I feel like I’m young again, something happens.
“obviously, [I was] I’m incredibly disappointed leaving tomorrow, very emotional about the whole thing.
“You’re always asking yourself, ‘Could I have done more? Should have done this, should have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep in it, and you take the emotion out of it, you realize that when you’re out there, you’re always putting yourself at risk for getting hurt. “
“We are here to beat New Zealand, a team that is very competitive wherever they go in the world and we know they will be full of confidence after their historic win in India,” he said.
“The cricket we played in the first two games was very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, the same mentality, as we always do in the first two games here. We just didn’t play near our capabilities. Anywhere.
“To end the tour and the year with a defeat is obviously disappointing. But we managed to achieve what we came here to achieve. Coming to New Zealand and beating them is no small feat because they have a very strong team in their Are the team.” “Domestic Circumstances.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
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