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Ben Stokes is all set to skip the upcoming 2025 edition of The Hundred. He is looking to manage his fitness ahead of the all-important Ashes series down under later this year.
According to ESPNCricinfo, it is understood that the England Test skipper has come to this decision of skipping the 100-ball tournament after discussions with Northern Superchargers men’s head coach Andrew Flintoff.
Stokes is currently recovering from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the Champions Trophy 2025. It was in The Hundred last year when he first suffered a left hamstring injury. He underwent surgery for the same and subsequently, missed the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home and was not a part of the first Test in Pakistan in October later that year.
The hamstring injury seems to have flared up once again during England’s tour of New Zealand in November-December last year. It ruled him out for three months which meant he had to miss the SA20 and the Champions Trophy 2025.
Hence, Stokes wants to be cautious with his fitness. 2025 is a significant year in Test cricket for the England men’s team. While there is the much-hyped Ashes series in Australia, England face a stiff challenge against India (five Tests) at home in the summer.
With a short turnaround between the India series and The Hundred, Stokes has decided to miss England’s premier franchise tournament. Moreover, another factor is that Stokes hasn’t bowled a lot in the last couple of years, owing to different injuries. He has dished out only 168.1 overs across 21 Tests since the start of 2023.
Hence, England will want their captain to be fully fit to don the role of an all-rounder, else it hinders the balance of the side significantly. He is likely to regain full fitness ahead of the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe which starts on the 22nd of May in Nottingham.
Harry Brook to replace Stokes as Northern Superchargers’ designated centrally-contracted player
Sun Group (owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL) bought the Northern Superchargers in the recent auction conducted by the ECB and they have acquired 100% in the franchise. They have decided to make Harry Brook as their designated centrally-contracted player for the 2025 edition. His contract would be worth £200,000. He led the team in the 2024 season and is expected to continue as captain this time around as well. According to reports on ESPNCricinfo, Stokes will remain close to the Northern Superchargers setup.
