The future of Ben Stokes as an international all-rounder came under fresh scrutiny after he hobbled off the field in Hamilton clutching his left hamstring as England headed for a crushing defeat in the third Test. He had just sent down the second ball of his 37th over of the third Test against New Zealand – his heaviest workload for two and a half years – when he grimaced, grabbed the back of his thigh and carried on walking across the boundary and into the pavilion.
![[He had just sent down the second ball of his 37th over of the third Test against New Zealand]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/06/93184655-14196637-image-a-29_1734331537260.jpg)
Stokes is due to take up a lucrative contract with MI Cape Town in the SA20 franchise league starting on January 9, while England play their first game of a white-ball tour of India a fortnight later. Their 50-over Champions Trophy campaign, meanwhile, starts in Pakistan on February 22.
![[The all-rounder grimaced and grabbed the bag of his leg before making his way off the field]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/06/93184647-14196637-image-a-30_1734331553715.jpg)
But his latest injury scare – which looked similar to the one he suffered during the Hundred in August, when he was ruled out for two months – raises new questions about his ability to perform a crucial balancing role as England’s fourth seamer in next winter’s Ashes.
![[Former captain Kane Williamson struck an inspired 156 on his home ground in Hamilton]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/06/93184751-14196637-image-a-39_1734332103412.jpg)
Stokes had declared his body ‘good as gold’ before the first Test in Christchurch, but admitted ahead of the Hamilton game that he now has to ‘work so much harder on the physical side of the job’. He added: ‘As you get older, you think about your body a bit more, but I work harder because I have to. I am more confident about getting through a lot of spells in a day.
![[The No 3 struck 20 fours in his mammoth innings that saw him spend almost five hours at the crease]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/06/93184725-14196637-image-a-32_1734331777765.jpg)
