”
Ben Stokes will not be taking part in the Hundred this summer as he manages his fitness ahead of an Ashes series in Australia which will define his England captaincy.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that Stokes made the decision based on his upcoming schedule after consultation with Andrew Flintoff, who took over as Northern Superchargers’ men’s coach last year. He is currently recovering from surgery to his left hamstring, an injury he first sustained playing for the Superchargers last August, before suffering a recurrence during the third Test against New Zealand in December.
The Hundred begins on August 5, a day after England are due to finish a five-match Test series against India. With the Ashes to come later this year, starting in Perth on November 21, Stokes has taken the decision to preserve himself for those challenges.
The move is understandably cautious from Stokes. The initial hamstring tear, sustained while batting for the Superchargers against Manchester Originals in his third appearance of 2024’s competition, ruled him out of three Test matches against Sri Lanka and the first of three against Pakistan at the start of the winter.
Having “ruined” himself to recover – to the point he felt he had to apologise to his teammates for making them “tread on eggshells” around him – a further setback while bowling in New Zealand meant another three months on the sidelines. It subsequently ruled him out of a lucrative deal with MI Cape Town in the SA20.
The news will be warmly received by Test fans, particularly with England’s focus on winning back the urn in Australia. Much of their success on that tour, and in the summer against India, will hinge on Stokes’ ability to operate as a fully functioning allrounder, a role he was able to reprise at the start of last summer following successful knee surgery at the end of 2023. Stokes is expected to be fit for the start of this season, ahead of England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, which begins on May 22.
The loss of a player of Stokes’ profile is a blow to the Hundred in its transitional year, fresh off the recent sale of its eight teams, which were valued in total at a combined £975 million. The Superchargers are being bought by the Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, who will become 100% owners of the franchise after Yorkshire opted to cash in their stake.
Harry Brook, who captained the Superchargers last year, will replace Stokes as their designated centrally-contracted player for the 2025 season on a contract now worth £200,000. ESPNcricinfo understands that Stokes will remain close with the franchise, who will look to retain his services going forward.
The Superchargers have a new director of cricket this year after Mickey Arthur replaced Marcus North in the role, and are expected to announce the direct signing of South Africa’s David Miller on Tuesday as one of their retentions from last year. Graham Clark, the Durham batter, has also been retained after his success in the Bangladesh Premier League last month.
”
