England’s final Ashes Test took another unwelcome twist on Wednesday when Ben Stokes walked off the SCG just 15 minutes into day four, clutching his right groin. The captain had sent down only ten deliveries of his morning spell, turned on his heel, and disappeared towards the dressing-room. At that stage Australia were 523 for 7, already 139 ahead, and Stokes was midway through his 28th over – easily the heaviest workload of any England bowler in this innings.
“Ben Stokes is currently being assessed for a right adductor complaint,” an ECB spokesperson confirmed. Further details are expected once the medical staff have finished their checks, but the immediate concern was enough for Stokes to hand over the reins to vice-captain Harry Brook. The Yorkshireman marshalled the side well enough: the last three Australian wickets fell for 32 runs and the hosts were all out for 567, a first-innings lead of 183.
Because Stokes was only off the park for around 40 minutes, the ICC’s eight-minute absence rule did not force England into a reshuffle of the batting order. Even so, it is unclear whether the skipper will stride out at his usual No. 6. England start their second innings with a sizeable deficit, and the last thing they need is another reshuffle if the injury flares up again.
If there is a sliver of good news it is that the series is almost over. Australia already have the urn sewn up at 3-1, and a consolation win for England always looked a long shot. Stokes, no longer part of the white-ball plans, has a clear run to the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on 4 June. A couple of four-day outings for Durham in May might be pencilled in, but only if the body allows.
The adductor problem is the latest in an uncomfortable list. Over the last 18 months Stokes has suffered:
• a torn right hamstring during the Hundred in August 2024, ruling him out of the Sri Lanka Tests;
• a recurrence of that hamstring injury on the winter tour of Pakistan, which bled into the New Zealand series;
• a right-shoulder issue that effectively kept him out of the decisive Oval Test against India last summer.
Each setback has been met with extra gym work and a trimmed-down schedule. Franchise cricket has been parked – he had already ruled himself out of the 2025 Hundred for Northern Superchargers, and hinted strongly that 2026 would follow suit. The plan was simple: conserve energy for Test cricket. Even so, Sydney has underlined how hard that is when you are captain, premier all-rounder and emotional heartbeat rolled into one.
England’s attack, short of express pace and missing the retired James Anderson, leaned heavily on Stokes again in this match. He bowled 27 overs on day three, often digging the ball in on a leg-stump line to dry up runs. Admirable, but punishing. Former quick Steven Finn, on radio duty, remarked that “the overs are heroic but they’ll sting tomorrow”. Tomorrow, it turns out, arrived early.
Whether Stokes chooses to bat or not, England’s immediate task is straightforward: survive, score, and turn what is left of this contest into something competitive. Brook said afterwards that the dressing-room “are used to finding ways when things get messy”. They will need that resilience now more than ever.
For Stokes, the bigger picture remains: get fit, stay fit, and be ready for New Zealand in June. The Ashes are gone, but 2026 is barely getting started.
