Ben Stokes Reveals He Played With 'Ridiculous Levels' Of Pain In The Pakistan ODIs

Superstar England all-rounder Ben Stokes has revealed that he went through ‘ridiculous’ levels of pain during the recently-concluded ODI series against Pakistan.

The Durham all-rounder has admitted that he would have never played in the series if it wasn’t an opportunity to lead the national side.

Stokes was appointed as stand-in captain of a second-string England side for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan after seven members of the English contingent including three players tested positive for the virus.

He, however, had a stint to remember as the fringe English players punched above their weight to hand a 3-0 mauling to a full-strength Pakistan outfit.

The ODI series was Ben Stokes first assignment since he suffered an injury on his left index finger during the 2020 edition of the IPL. Stokes underwent successful surgery on his finger but the all-rounder has revealed that he is still suffering from considerable pain.

“It was a totally unexpected set of games for me and the truth is I would never have played under normal circumstances due to how much pain I was in with my left index finger. The surgery was a success after I had broken it at the IPL, but it was still so painful. Sometimes though you just have to grin and bear it, and captaining England is one of those reasons. The finger has healed structurally, but the pain was just ridiculous for where it should be so that is why I have now had an injection to ease it for the rest of the summer,” Ben Stokes wrote his column for Daily Mirror.

With Eoin Morgan returning to lead the England team in the ongoing T20I series, Ben Stokes has been rested for the same, and the all-rounder is hoping that his finger injury wouldn’t cause him much problem during the marquee Test series against India, starting August 04 in Nottingham.

“I’ve got a bit of a break now, which should give the steroids time to take effect and allow me to play pain-free in the Hundred and then against India. Hopefully, my finger won’t be a problem by the time the India Test series comes around, because that is a huge series and one we are all desperate to perform well in,” Stokes added.

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