Ben Stokes to miss India Test series, takes indefinite break from all cricket

England star all-rounder Ben Stokes has withdrawn from his side's five-match Test series against India starting next week and will be taking an indefinite break from all cricket to focus on his mental well-being, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced in a statement on Friday.

"Stokes has withdrawn from England's Test squad ahead Test series against India starting next week to prioritise his mental wellbeing and to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month," an ECB release said.

Stokes returned to competitive cricket after recovering from the finger injury he sustained during the first half of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), earlier this month captaining the England ODI team for the first time. Stokes later took part in a couple of matches of The Hundred league captaining the Northern Superchargers.

Stokes has been replaced by bowling all-rounder Craig Overton in the England squad for the first two Tests announced by ECB a couple of weeks ago. 

ECB said that they fully support Stokes in his decision and will provide any help he needs during this period. ECB Managing Director Ashley Giles commended Stokes for opening about his feelings and acknowledged that playing for a significant amount of time in bubbles and away from families can mount pressure, saying that he will get as long a time as he needs.

Official Statement: Ben Stokes

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 30, 2021

"Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.
 
"Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this. 

"Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone's wellbeing," Giles further added.

Stokes' decision comes days after USA's 24-year old artistic gymnast Simone Biles had withdrawn from the women's all-around final in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. Team India head coach Ravi Shastri too put a tweet in her support saying that she doesn't owe anyone any explanation.

Earlier, Japan's tennis star Naomi Osaka too had withdrawn from the French Open and subsequently didn't take part in the Wimbledon to focus on her mental health.