NEW DELHI: Despite acknowledging on Tuesday that he grew “emotional” following yet another injury setback during the third Test loss to New Zealand, England captain Ben Stokes said he would not be cutting up on his bowling workload.
Stokes is still to be informed of the extent of the “incredibly disappointing” recurrence of his hamstring injury that caused him to leave the field in the middle of a session on Monday’s third day in Hamilton.
He missed four Test matches during a two-month recuperation after sustaining the same injury while bowling in August.
As the tourists collapsed to 234 all out and a 423-run loss, Stokes decided it was not worth the risk of more damage to bat in England’s second innings.
The England talisman, who also recovered from knee surgery earlier this year, acknowledged that he reacted badly to the injury right away and considered a protracted recuperation period.
“I worked my a**e off to get to where I was in this game, in particular, with my body,” he said.
“It’s just sod’s law that the first time in a while when I feel like I’m young again, something happens.
“Obviously, incredibly disappointed walking off yesterday, very emotional about the whole thing.”
But Stokes claimed that a good night’s sleep had helped him mentally, especially after he realized that England won’t play another Test until May, when they face Zimbabwe in a one-off encounter before India’s five-Test tour.
Prior to returning to cricket, he intended to ensure that his recovery was completed appropriately.
Despite the fact that his most recent injury occurred during a Test match when he was delivering his 36th over, he stated that he had no intention of reducing his bowling load.
“When 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,” he said.
“I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game, and it’s just one of those unfortunate things.
“So no, I ain’t holding back.”
