Ben Stokes quits alcohol to aid hamstring injury rehabilitation

Ben Stokes

England's Test captain Ben Stokes has quit drinking alcohol during his ongoing hamstring injury rehabilitation in an effort to be battle-ready for the upcoming Ashes series against traditional rivals Australia.

The flamboyant cricketer said he gave up drinking in the hope abstinence would hasten his recovery from the injury. The 33-year-old Stokes had surgery on his left hamstring in December after suffering a tear during the third Test against New Zealand, which ruled him out of action for a prolonged period.

"After my first major injury, I remember the shock of it and after the initial adrenaline had stopped I was thinking, ‘How has this happened?'" Stokes told the Untapped podcast. "[I thought] ‘We did have a bit of a drink four or five nights ago, could that have played a part?' It wouldn't have helped.

"Then I was like ‘OK, I need to start changing what I do.' "

Stokes tore his hamstring in the Hundred last year and then injured it again during the Test tour of New Zealand.

"I don't think I'll ever be completely sober, but I've not had a drink since January 2. I said to myself: ‘Not until I finish my injury rehab and get back on the field'."

The English skipper is set to make his comeback on Thursday in England's one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever