England star all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken a shocking decision regarding his cricketing career – he has officially taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and he has informed England and Wales Cricket Board on July 30th, 2021. Here is why Ben Stokes Takes An Indefinite Break.
Now Stokes has officially withdrawn from the England test squad which is all set to take on Team India in a 5-match Test Series next week. Speaking about Stokes, ECB officials said – “prioritize his mental wellbeing and to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month,”
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ECB has also added – “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.”
Managing Director of England Men’s cricket, Ashley Giles said – “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.”
And he has concluded by saying – “Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future,”
Ben Stokes has recently captained the revised England ODI side against Pakistan and successfully led his side to a series win.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara opined regarding Stokes break and said – “It must be a very, very tough time for Ben and his family. It won’t be a decision made easily but (it) brings into focus the level elite players play at — your coping mechanism can only deal with so much.”
He has also added – “A lot of time away from home, in bubbles, restrictions in terms of freedom of movement, then the added pressures of performing at such a high level in the public eye. We’ve had a host of elite athletes who’ve spoken about mental wellbeing and the effects of Covid and the pressure around it, and of course pressure in the limelight, that have led to them making some very tough decisions.
