Ben Stokes announces an indefinite break from cricket
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Ben Stokes, who is part of the England squad, was showered with love from his children Layton and Libby, who gave their dad one last hug in the heartwarming snapshots.
Clare captioned the post, writing: “Hate saying goodbye! But so proud and smiling through the tears!”
Hate saying goodbye! But so proud and smiling through the tears
Ben Stokes
Her Instagram photos were met with an outpouring amount of support from fans, who assured Clare that despite having to be away from his family, her husband would go on to make England proud.
“Go get em Ben . Rooting for you and the team,” @fl00d64 wrote.
Another fan, @jtaspurs, commented: “Clare, you’re his rock and should be so proud of yourself too for always being there and supporting Ben.”
“He’ll do you proud in the Ashes whatever,” @kathie.artist said.
@Jakesharp1 seemed excited about Ben’s return to the game, adding: “Must be so tough but cannot wait to see him back out playing! My absolute all time hero! He’ll do the country proud. Much love.”
It was understandably emotional for Clare to see her husband return to the sport of cricket following the star’s announcement he would take an indefinite break over the summer to care for his “mental wellbeing”.
The unexpected hiatus meant Ben would miss the ICC World Test Champion series against India, but the much-needed break meant he could also heal his left index finger, which was still recovering from a previous cricket game.
At the time of his announcement, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Ashley Giles, applauded Ben for his “tremendous courage” to discuss the personal matter with his fans while making the wellbeing of his mental state his top priority.
“Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people,” said Ashley.
“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.
He continued:” 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.”
“Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future.”
Then, in October, Ben spoke candidly about his abrupt departure from the England team, in an interview with The Mirror, where he admitted to finding himself in “a real dark place” before being asked to play in the Ashes.
While he’s always been one of the team members to hide his feelings by keeping it internal and “crack on”, Ben realised how much his mental health had affected his personal life and decided that momentarily stepping away from his professional career was the only way forward.
“I feel much better about everything from my finger to my mental wellbeing,” he expressed.
“I know I can focus once again on playing my best cricket Down Under this winter.”
“But I had been struggling with bubble life and events off the field.”
“I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did, because I wasn’t in a good place and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
England will take on Australia in today’s match, marking Ben’s first game since his hiatus in July.
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