To help him recover from his injury, England Test captain Ben Stokes decided to stop drinking alcohol at the beginning of 2025. He aims to get back in great shape before the upcoming series against India next month and the Ashes later this year. Stokes had surgery after tearing his hamstring during the New Zealand tour last December, which kept him out for six months. He’ll be making his comeback soon in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
This is the second time since last August that Stokes has dealt with this injury. He first hurt his hamstring during The Hundred but got fit in time for the tour in New Zealand. This time, he is taking a different approach.
“After my first big injury, I was shocked. Once the adrenaline wore off, I thought, ‘How did this happen? We had a few drinks a few nights ago; could that have played a part? It wouldn’t have helped,’” he shared on the Untapped podcast. “Then I realized, ‘Okay, I need to change what I’m doing.’ I’m not planning to be completely sober, but I haven’t had a drink since January 2. I told myself, ‘Not until I finish my rehab and get back on the field.’”
Stokes acknowledged the effort he’s put into getting back into shape, and even though it’s tough, he’s not thinking of stopping anytime soon. “I think the day I wake up and don’t want to stick to my training is the day I should worry about my commitment. But I’m not looking to stop. It’s just getting tougher to manage everything. That’s why I feel I have to train even harder in the gym to give myself the best chance to perform. I’ll keep pushing for as long as I can,” he said.
He also discussed how the drinking culture in cricket has changed with the demands of the game today. “In the 90s and 00s, there were some wild stories about drinking. It’s definitely calmed down over the years. The game is way tougher on players’ bodies now. There’s just so much more cricket in the schedule that it makes it hard to cope with everything, especially if a few beers the night before affect you the next day,” he noted.
