England captain Ben Stokes does not think the heavier bowling workload he undertook in the third Test against New Zealand was a contributory factor to the hamstring injury he suffered during the 423-run defeat.
The 33-year-old, who missed four Tests after tearing the same muscle during The Hundred in August, played no further part in the match after suffering the injury on Monday.
“Every time you walk out onto a field as an athlete, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting injury,” Stokes said in Hamilton after England’s loss on Tuesday. “I worked my a** off to get to where I was in this game, in particular, with my body. It’s just Sod’s law that the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again, something happens.”
Stokes bowled 24 overs in New Zealand’s first innings and was two balls into his 13th over of the second when he suffered the injury – a much heavier workload than in the first two Tests, which England won.
The all-rounder said he had been extremely emotional after being forced to leave the field and questioned whether there was anything he could have done differently to avoid the injury.
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“When you, when you sleep in it and you take the emotion out of it, you realise that when you’re walking out there, you’re always putting yourself at risk,” he added.
“And that’s what it is. I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game, and it’s just one of those unfortunate things.”
Stokes, who will have an MRI scan on the injury on Wednesday, said he would have batted on Tuesday if England had been close to chasing down their monumental target.
England do not play again in the longest format until a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May before a five-match home series against India in July and August.
“With my injury in the summer, straightaway I looked at we’ve got certain amount of time until the next Test series, whereas this one we’ve got ages till we meet up as a Test team again,” he said.
“But I can’t go into too much detail until we actually know what the extent of the injury is. I certainly hope [I’ll be fit to face India], it’s not that bad.”
New Zealand’s win sent Tim Southee out a winner on his home ground in his final Test and claim some consolation the victory as one-sided as their losses in the first two matches of the series.
The Black Caps had come into the series with confidence high after their remarkable 3-0 sweep in India only to be completely outplayed in more familiar conditions in Christchurch and Wellington.
At Hamilton’s Seddon Park, they rediscovered their mojo to claim their biggest win by runs and inflict the fourth-worst defeat by the same measure on the tourists inside four days.
Recalled spinner Mitchell Santner (4-85) was named player of the match after ripping through the England tail for a match tally of seven wickets to go with his 76 and 49 with the bat, but it was a proper team victory.
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Kane Williamson could have claimed the honour for a second-innings 156 that took England’s victory target well into world record areas, or Will O’Rourke for a dizzying spell of bowling on day one.
“It’s obviously pleasing to finish in that fashion,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham.
“We certainly knew we weren’t quite at our best those first couple of games, but I think the way we came in here and were able to adapt to the surface was very pleasing.”
England, so dominant in the first two Tests, crumbled to 234 all out after lunch on day four in their improbable chase for 658 runs to sweep the series.
The end came swiftly with England, who looked determined to go down fighting before the break, losing their last three wickets in 12 deliveries for the addition of three runs.
Southee failed to add to his extraordinary tally of 98 Test sixes on Monday, but he did take two wickets in his final innings to finish his career with 391, the second-highest for a New Zealander behind Richard Hadlee.
“We’re certainly leaving one of the greats behind, but I’m sure he’s got a bright future ahead of him, whatever that may be,” added Latham, who was front and centre as Southee was honoured by Hadlee after the match.
Although the tourists were disappointed to finish with such a crushing defeat, even on Tuesday there were some positives to go along with becoming the first England team to win a series in New Zealand since 2008.
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Jacob Bethell continued his impressive start to Test cricket with a third half-century of the series before he holed out for 76 to become Southee’s final Test victim.
Joe Root reached his 65th Test half-century before being dismissed for 54 by Santner, but Harry Brook was unable to find the runs that were so instrumental to England’s wins in the first two Tests.
Named player of the series for his two centuries and 350 runs, Brook faced six deliveries for one run before O’Rourke had him caught in the slips with the sort of steepling delivery that is fast becoming his trademark.
O’Rourke also dismissed Brook for a golden duck in the first innings during a spell that will have reassured local fans that the future of New Zealand seam bowling is secure despite the retirements of Southee and Trent Boult.
Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts did the same over the series for England fans still mourning the departure of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Atkinson blasted 43 off 41 balls with seven fours and one six in a defiant rearguard on Tuesday, but once he departed with a miscued slog to deep cover, the end was not long in coming.
“We want to come out and win every game that we play,” said Stokes. “It’s obviously disappointing as a team to finish like we have done but … the first two Test matches is where it really counted for us, and that’s where we played our best cricket.”
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