Ben Stokes takes ‘indefinite break’ from all forms of cricket ahead of test series against India
England star Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket with immediate effect, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed in a statement. Stokes will not take part in the upcoming five-test series against India, which begins on August 4.
The Managing Director of England men’s cricket and former cricketer Ashley Giles backed Stokes’ decision as he said, “Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing,”.
“Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.
“Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone’s wellbeing.”
“Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future.”
The 30-year-old will also be nursing his left index finger which has not fully healed before he led England’s limited-overs squad against Pakistan in the absence of skipper Eoin Morgan and the rest of the team as they were in isolation.
