Ben Stokes hit by fresh injury blow as England toil in third Test
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England captain Ben Stokes suffered another injury setback as his side endured a demoralising day in Hamilton. New Zealand battered the tourists into submission as they set a vast target of 658 on the third evening of the third Test at Seddon Park before Ben Duckett and the embattled Zak Crawley were wiped out late on.
Crawley was dismissed for the sixth time in six attempts by his tormentor Matt Henry in the closing moments, lbw for five to leave him with just 52 runs at an average of 8.66. He left the pitch with what looked to be some choice words for umpire Adrian Holdstock, who erred with the bowler on a tight call, although his real problems lie closer to home.
Yet despite a horrendous scorecard, which ended with England flailing at 18 for two, they somehow had even bigger concerns. They have already secured the series with thumping wins in Christchurch and Wellington, rendering a blowout in this dead rubber lower on their list of priorities than the fitness of their skipper.
Stokes left the field clutching his left hamstring in an elongated afternoon session, pulling up in his follow through and immediately leaving the field two balls into an over. It was his 13th of the innings, 37th of the match and 67th of the trip – a significantly increased workload than anything he has managed over the past 18 months.
The 33-year-old badly tore the same muscle in August while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, missing the next four Tests. He had previously undergone a major operation on his left knee at the back end of last year, undergoing a punishing rehabilitation regime in a bid to resume his work as a fully functioning all-rounder.
