"Want to get back as quick as I possibly can" - Ben Stokes provides update on his hamstring injury

England Test captain Ben Stokes has provided an update on his hamstring injury that has kept him out of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. The seam-bowling all-rounder said he is slowly progressing and is keen to return to the field as early as possible.

The 33-year-old participated in The Hundred this year for the first time since 2021, but his campaign ended in a hamstring injury during the fixture against the Manchester Originals. Hence, he has been ruled out of the remaining fixtures of the summer.

Speaking in a video uploaded by the England Cricket Board (ECB), the all-rounder stated:

"I'm all good, just slowly progressing. It's still very early days in the rehab period… I want to get back as quick as I possibly can, so being around the medical team here with physio and doctors, I thought that was going to give myself the best chance of getting back sooner rather than later."

Ollie Pope, England's stand-in captain for the series against Sri Lanka, expects Stokes to be fresh and to have worked on his weaknesses.

"Injuries are never ideal, but they're also great chances for people to keep improving their game and have a little bit of time of reflection and think about what he can work on in his game. I'm sure that's exactly what he's doing in the nets. Going into that Pakistan series and then into New Zealand, he's going to be as fresh as anyone," Pope said.

Before sustaining the hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, the Test captain had been bowling in full tilt. However, he was inconsistent with the bat and would want to fire when England tour Pakistan.

"I thought I might be a little bit frantic" - Ben Stokes on sitting in the dressing room

Stokes revealed that he looked at the game from a different point of view as he had less emotions attached to it due to spending time on the sidelines. On this, he said:

"I was actually pretty relaxed and pretty chilled. I thought I might be a little bit frantic… When you don't have the emotion of being in the game, you do look at it from a different point of view."

England won the first Test against Sri Lanka by five wickets, with the second beginning on August 29.