Harry Brook has admitted Ben Stokes’ injury ‘doesn’t look good’ after the England star was forced out of The Hundred on Sunday.
The 33-year-old had to retire hurt after scoring just two runs, with the England skipper pulling up after sprinting for a single.
Stokes was visibly in pain as he was carried off, with the cricket icon now at risk of missing the Three Lions’ upcoming Test series with Sri Lanka.
He has since been seen using crutches, with the Northern Superchargers confirming he was being assessed for a hamstring injury.
Ben Stokes’ injury ‘doesn’t look good’ with the England star at risk of missing Sri Lanka Test series
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And Brook has admitted it ‘doesn’t look good’ for Stokes, who has only just recently starting bowling for his country again.
“It doesn’t look great unfortunately,” he said.
“I think he will get a scan tomorrow [today] and yeah, we’ll see how he is.”
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Former England star Michael Atherton watched the action unfold on Sunday. And he feels it’s ‘extremely unlikely’ that Stokes will be able to face Sri Lanka in the opening Test on August 21.
“The way that he gripped the back of his leg looked like hamstring to me, which may well be a significant period out,” he said.
“But it might not be a structural problem so fingers crossed it’s that and that it’s not as bad as it initially looked and that he can play some part in the Test series.
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“But it looks extremely unlikely that he’ll be able to play here in ten days’ time.”
Should Stokes be forced to pull out, then Ollie Pope would likely replace him as captain for the series.
Fans on X are unhappy with The Hundred, with some feeling it’s unnecessary to risk players.
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Ben Stokes had to be carried off the field with England now sweating on the availability of their captain for the upcoming Test series with Sri Lanka
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“The Hundred. A complete and utterly pathetic and pointless men’s cricket tournament,” said one user.
“Now the skipper is injured, the great Ben Stokes. Well done authorities, bravo. Tremendous work, all-round.”
A second said: “Why is he wasting his time playing in this cretinous tournament?”
Ben Stokes was seen on crutches with England hoping the cricket icon will be available to face Sri Lanka later this month
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A third said: “Unbelievable… Imagine paying for a ticket for the test series coming up to see Stokes play and captain the side only to be denied the privilege by him playing in a totally useless meaningless pathetic failed excuse of a competition.”
And another opined: “Pointless tournament for peopke with the attention span of a goldish.”
Stokes recently played in all three Tests as England beat the West Indies. The veteran scored three half-centuries during those clashes and took four wickets as well as the Three Lions cruised to victory.