Ben Stokes has revealed that his ailing father, for whom he took a break from cricket, encouraged him to return to action by telling him that he was duty-bound "to do the job".Stokes took compassionate leave in the middle of the home Test series against Pakistan in August and travelled to New Zealand to attend to his father who has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

After spending five weeks with his family, Stokes, who is contracted with Rajasthan Royals, has landed in the UAE and is currently in quarantine. "Saying goodbye to my dad, my mum and my brother in Christchurch was tough. It has been a difficult time for us as a family, but we've pulled together and supported each other as best we can," Stokes wrote in his column for the Daily Mirror.