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England all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket to prioritise mental health and focus on resting his index finger, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.
In the statement, ECB said,
The English all-rounder had fractured his left index finger while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Earlier, Stokes had said that he played the three-match One-day International series against Pakistan with "ridiculous pain" in his finger. He was called on to lead the team as England's first squad isolated due to seven COVID-19 cases in the team.
Before the tests, Stokes was rushed back to play for Durham in the Vitality Blast after they fell short of players owing similar circumstances.
In a column for The Mirror, Stokes had written, "It was a totally unexpected set of games for me and the truth is I would never have played under normal circumstances due to how much pain I was in with my left index finger."
In Friday's statement, the ECB said they fully supported Stokes' decision and would continue to help him during his time away from the game.
Their managing director of men's cricket, Ashley Giles further said, "Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing."
Stokes becomes the latest high-profile sportsperson to step away from the pressures of competition, following in the heels of American gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of two events at the Tokyo Olympics over her mental health, as well as Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open.
(With inputs from The Mirror.)
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