Ben Stokes excused from rest of Pakistan series to be with family

Stokes has played a full part in England’s red-ball team this summer, captaining his country for the first time in the series opener against West Indies, scoring important runs and taking wickets while battling a thigh injury.

He took part in a rousing three-wicket win over Pakistan that concluded on Saturday but subsequently informed the squad that he needs to return to his family home in Christchurch, where father Ged and mother Deb are based.

The precise reasons for his departure have not been made public, with the England and Wales Cricket Board requesting respect for his privacy. The Stokes family had a tough time over Christmas, with Ged rushed to hospital in Johannesburg on the eve of England’s Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

Stokes was encouraged by his father to play a full part in that game and the 3-1 series win that followed but spent regular time at his bedside when England returned for the fourth Test at the Wanderers.

He later posted a picture of his father leaving hospital after 37 days and three operations praising him as “strong and stubborn”.

A statement from the ECB read: “England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the remainder of the #raisethebat Test series against Pakistan for family reasons. Stokes will leave the UK later this week and travel to New Zealand. The England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the Stokes family, requests that all media respects the family’s privacy at this time.”

England will give their full support to Stokes, a leader on and off the field not to mention a source of great inspiration following his heroics over the last 18 months.

In cricketing terms he leaves a vacant spot in the top four, having played the last two matches predominantly as a batsman given a recent thigh complaint. Kent’s Zak Crawley is the likeliest beneficiary, having been left out to balance the side since Stokes’ bowling workload was compromised.

England could theoretically choose to play Jos Buttler as a specialist batsman instead, drafting in wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to take the gloves, but Joe Root seems unlikely to take that route.

Buttler made a brilliant 75 as England chased down 277 to win the first Test against Pakistan, but had earlier spilled three chances behind the stumps in the first innings and admitted he was starting to question his own place in the side. Root has never entertained any such doubts about a player he relies on and sees his watershed knock as the start of a new chapter rather than the end of an old debate.

“It felt like a matter of time, I’ve said on a few occasions it’s been coming for quite a while,” he said of Buttler’s counter-attacking masterclass.

“There are times where he’s been very selfless, played the situation and done what’s right for the team. He did exactly that again here but for a longer period and got us into a position to win the game. That is really exciting for the team and for him.

“I think it will provide him with a huge amount of confidence in all aspects of his game and he sh

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor