Ben Stokes: England captain vows to be fitter than before on return from hamstring surgery

Ben Stokes has vowed to return for England’s Test summer in peak physical condition after an extensive four-month recovery from hamstring surgery.

England captain Stokes has been out of action for country and county since tearing his left hamstring during the final Test in New Zealand in December.

Since undergoing surgery in January, the 33-year-old Durham all-rounder has undertaken “one of the longest rehab periods of his career” which he says could see him return to the Test arena fitter than he has ever been.

“I always work hard,” Stokes exclusively told Sky Sports in an interview to be screened in full at 7pm on Sky Sports Cricket.

“My ethos when I’m injured is I come back fitter than I was before I got injured.

“I’ve worked incredibly hard on all aspects of everything, from my cricket to fitness, and know I’m going to be in a position when I am back on the field to potentially be in physically the best possible shape I have been in.”

Stokes’ hamstring injury was a recurrence of the one he sustained playing in The Hundred for the Superchargers last August. It would rule him out of England action for four consecutive Test matches, three at home to Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan.

Faced with a race to be fit for the tour of New Zealand, he partook in a condensed recovery period that ultimately contributed to the relapse. Now, with a gap in England’s calendar presenting sufficient recovery time, Stokes is seizing the opportunity to “absolutely nail” his return to fitness.

‘I’ve handled this rehab a lot better than last’

“The first time I pulled my hamstring, there was such a small timeframe to try and get myself ready for that series against Pakistan,” he added. “To walk back on to the field after nine weeks with the hamstring tear I had was a pretty good effort but there were days I had no interest in doing what I needed to do.

“That rehab period then looked a lot different to this period. We had to fast-track certain periods of a normal rehab with a hamstring just to pass me fit to play, whereas this time around the medical team and myself said we’re going to absolutely nail it because we have got the time.

“The time has allowed me to not have to get into the mindset of everyday waking up and thinking about what I need to do to feel right in my head that I am fit. Those are the unseen things that people from outside don’t necessarily see.

“It was a tough old slog and was very tiring and taxing, not just physically but also mentality, doing something every single day to try and get myself to the next level of my rehab. It does take it out of you; it was pretty much every day for about six weeks where I had to do something, three or four sessions a day, it was tough.

“This time around I had a lot longer to be able to slowly drip feed in bits of progression from walking, into fast walking, into running and then into bowling. It’s not been anywhere near as taxing physically or mentally, that has been the big difference. I have definitely handled this period of injury and rehab a lot better than the first one.

“I’m not fully through that yet but we’re at the back end of the four-month period and I’m excited to get back to playing this summer.”

Stokes keen to resume role as dominant all-rounder

England face a one-off Test against Zimbabwe on May 22, a five-Test series against India between June 20 to August 4 and then an Ashes series in Australia.

Stokes shared how he remains in dialogue with England head coach Brendon McCullum about managing his fitness to ensure he can rediscover his form as one of the world’s best.

“I am 33, I don’t want to expose myself to a situation where I am off the field when I don’t have to be,” Stokes said.

“I talk to Baz a lot about many different things, we’ve spoken about this kind of stuff and how he’s going to help me better, how he’s going to speak to me a lot more about this stuff. We’ve worked together for so long, we know each other inside out and those discussions we’ve had over the last couple of months have been very good.”

As for the state of Stokes’ game, he continued: “I feel great. Training and playing are completely different. No matter what you do at training, you cannot replicate the intensity your body is put through in a game. As excited as I am to get back on the field I do know it’s going to be different to my training.

“But in terms of my role as a player, that full seamer, batting at six, trying to dominate every situation I find myself whether I’ve got a bat or ball in my hand is what I want to get back doing out on the field, on the biggest stage. I know I’ve done it before, it’s something I’ve very confident in myself I can do.”

England men Test matches this summer ☀️

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports

vs Zimbabwe: Thursday May 22-Sunday May 25 – Trent Bridge
vs India: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
vs India: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
vs India: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
vs India: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
vs India: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 🏏

All times UK and Ireland

First Test: Friday November 21-Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth
Second Test: Thursday December 4-Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
Third Test: Wednesday December 17-Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide Oval
Fourth Test: Thursday December 25-Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
Fifth Test: Sunday January 4-Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground

Watch England’s one-off, four-day Test against Zimbabwe, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am (11am first ball) on Thursday May 22.

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