Ben Stokes Pulls Out Of The Hundred To Manage Workload For Ashes

Ben Stokes may not participate in The Hundred this summer as he focuses on managing his fitness ahead of England’s highly anticipated Ashes series in Australia later this year.

The England captain prioritizes recovery following surgery on his left hamstring, an injury he originally sustained while playing for the Superchargers last August and later again during England’s third Test against New Zealand in December.

August 5 marks the start of the Hundred, just one day after England is scheduled to conclude a five-match Test series against India. With a very tight schedule ahead, Stokes has made a cautious decision to pull out of participating in The Hundred and instead focus on managing his fitness and be in his best form ahead of England’s highly anticipated Ashes series set to be held in Australia later this year. His announcement closely follows Moeen Ali’s who also declared earlier on Monday that he would not be playing for the Birmingham Phoenix as he gets ready to retire from English domestic cricket later this year.

Ben Stokes’ decision is a very calculated one especially after he was forced to miss three Test matches against Sri Lanka and the first of three against Pakistan at the beginning of the winter due to the first hamstring tear, he suffered while batting for the Superchargers against Manchester Originals in his third appearance of the 2024 campaign. Now, rather than risk further injury, Stokes is focusing on long-term fitness to ensure he can contribute fully as an all-rounder in the Ashes, a role he successfully resumed last summer after undergoing knee surgery at the end of 2023.

Following the recent sale of its eight teams, which were valued at a total of £975 million, Stokes’ absence is a significant blow to the Hundred. The Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, will now also fully own The Superchargers After Yorkshire decided to cash in their investment. For the 2025 season, Harry Brook, who captained the Superchargers the previous season, will take Stokes' place as their designated centrally-contracted player on a now £200,000 contract. In addition to having a new director of cricket this season after Mickey Arthur took over from Marcus North, the Superchargers are also anticipated to announce on Tuesday the retention of South African batsman David Miller as a direct signee. Following his triumph in the Bangladesh Premier League last month, Durham hitter Graham Clark has also been kept on.

With England highly focused on reclaiming the urn in Australia, test supporters are bound to welcome the news as Stokes ability to play as a fully functional all-rounder, will be crucial to the teams’ success on that tour and against India in the summer. Stokes is expected to be match-fit by the start of the season and is on track to return for England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, which starts on May 22 in what could be a career-defining series.