NEWS
Follow UsBen Stokes walked off the field in the middle of his spell with a recurrence of a hamstring injury but says that he is not going to hold back as far as bowling full throttle is concerned.
Stokes finished with 2/52 in the third innings of the Test before feeling discomfort in his left hamstring and immediately walking off the field. He never returned to the field again and neither did he bat as England succumbed to a massive 423-run loss in the third and final Test in Hamilton.
Despite this loss, England went on to win the series 2-1. "I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game," he said.
"And it's just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain't holding back.
"Every time you walk out to field as an athlete, you're putting yourself at risk of getting injury. Whether you feel great or you don't feel great. I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game in particularly with my body. It's just sod's law - the first time in a while I feel like I'm young again, something happens.
"Obviously, [I was] incredibly disappointed walking off yesterday, 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 realise that when you're walking out there, you're always putting yourself at risk of an injury."
Stokes bowled 23 overs on Day One of the Test - the most he has ever bowled in a single day, and 36.2 overs across the entire game - the most in the last two years. The England skipper finished the series with an average of 52.66 with the bat and a bowling average of 36.85, which indicates that he is heading in the right direction, especially after undergoing a knee injury in November 2023 to make himself available as a full-fledged all-rounder.
England have played their last Test of the year, which saw them win nine and lose eight of their 17 Tests. While losing the final Test of 2024 is disappointing, Stokes sees the positives. "We came here to beat New Zealand, a team who, wherever they go in the world, are very competitive and knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic win in India," he said.
"To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, same mindset, that we always do in the first two games out here. We just didn't play anywhere near our capabilities.
"It's obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to achieve, we managed to achieve. It's no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them because they're a very very strong team in their home conditions."
England do not play Test cricket till their four-day fixture against New Zealand in May 2025 at Trent Bridge. They then host India for a five-match Test series, starting June 20.
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