Ben Stokes left the field on Friday evening with what England confirmed was “suffering cramp in his left leg”. The all-rounder had just pushed a single off Mohammed Siraj when the discomfort became too sharp to ignore, and he walked off at the end of the over on 66 not out – his best score of this series.
England were 298 for 4 at the time, already well ahead of India thanks to Stokes’ 142-run stand with Joe Root. The partnership felt important: Root ticking along, Stokes mixing assertive strokes with the odd reverse-sweep, one of which seemed to trigger the problem. He grabbed the back of his leg, called for the physio, but tried to carry on before deciding enough was enough.
Stokes’ recent history makes any twinge noteworthy. Two hamstring strains last year were followed by surgery in January, then four months of rehab before a low-key return against Zimbabwe in May. Since then he has bowled 129 overs in this series – more than he has ever delivered in one rubber – and taken 16 wickets at 24.75. The heavy workload, even in Manchester’s mild conditions, was always going to test the body.
With the ball he has been England’s most reliable seamer; with the bat, runs have been harder to come by. Before Friday he had gone 15 innings against India without a fifty. The timing of this knock, then, looked ideal for him and for England, who already lead the World Test Championship table.
It is worth remembering that Rishabh Pant also retired hurt earlier in the match – a foot injury – only to reappear the next day. England will hope for a similar outcome. Stokes climbed the dressing-room stairs unaided, no ice pack, no limp, suggesting a straightforward bout of cramp rather than anything structural.
Still, medical staff will want to be certain before the fifth Test at The Oval next week. England have managed his bowling carefully, but even careful plans can unravel when a player does as much as Stokes. Asked before this game whether he feared fatigue, captain Ben Stokes (half-laughing at himself) said, “I’ll know when the body tells me.” On Friday evening, it did.
For now, the scorebook records an unbeaten 66, a sizeable England lead and a small question mark hanging over their talisman.
