England Test captain Ben Stokes recently criticised a journalist on social media over accusations of prioritising The Hundred over County Championship matches.
Ben Stokes has defended himself against these accusations and expressed his commitment to playing matches in the County Championship in England.
Ben Stokes suffered a hamstring injury during the Northern Superchargers’ 2024 The Hundred Men’s game against Manchester Originals.
Following tests, the left-handed batsman’s injury was confirmed to be serious. The England captain was eventually ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Played 3 Championship games for Durham – Ben Stokes
Scott Wilson, a writer for a UK publication, has criticised Ben Stokes for prioritising The Hundred over County Championship matches.
He described The Hundred as a “circus” and called the whole episode “absolutely ridiculous”. He said Stokes was allowed to play in The Hundred but missed out on County Cricket.
“Ben Stokes can’t play county cricket for #Durham over the summer but has no problem stepping into the circus that is the Hundred, tearing his hamstring and ruling himself out for the rest of the summer. It’s a complete farce,” wrote Scott Wilson on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Stokes responded to the criticism, saying he played in three County Championship matches for Durham during the summer.
““Chief sports editor? I played three Championship games for Durham this year,” Stokes replied.
Sports editor???
I played 3 championship games for Durham this year.— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) August 14, 2024
The 33-year-old missed the 2024 IPL and T20 World Cup to regain fitness for the English summer. He played in three County Championship matches against Somerset, Lancashire and Worcestershire. He failed to impress with the bat but took 18 wickets at an average of 18.83, including five wickets.
The team is now in a bit of a mess – Moeen Ali
Veteran England spinner Moeen Ali said that the absence of Ben Stokes will affect not only batting but also captaincy and bowling. Ali added that the team management has probably come up with a plan to address the situation.
“First of all, once you lose a player like Stokes, you’re not just losing a batsman, you’re losing the captain, you’re losing another bowler; the whole balance of the team is now a bit messed up really,” Moeen said.
“Who to bring in, how to balance the team, it’s going to be a tough job, but I’m sure they’ve already decided or have a plan in place,” he added.
Ben Stokes will be out for the remainder of the summer season due to his recent hamstring injury. The England all-rounder will miss his first Test series as England captain. Stokes will try to recover for the tour of Pakistan, where England will play three Test matches starting in October this year.
Young batsman Ollie Pope will captain England in the Test series against Sri Lanka. The series will begin at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on August 21. England will face Sri Lanka in the remaining two matches at Lord’s in London and the Kennington Oval in London respectively.
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