Ben Stokes‘ father, Ged, has been admitted to hospital in Johannesburg after suffering a serious illness, the ECB announced on Tuesday (December 24). He remains in a critical condition.
The England all-rounder will miss training at SuperSport Park on Tuesday to be at his father’s bedside and the ECB has requested the media and public respect the family’s privacy. At this stage, Stokes’ participation in the Boxing Day Test remains uncertain.
Ged Stokes, 64, is a former New Zealand rugby league international and successful coach who moved to the UK when Ben was 12 to take up a coaching position with Workington in Cumbria. He is in South Africa to watch the Test series with other members of the Stokes family.
Although such matters put the importance of cricket firmly in perspective, it is nevertheless another complication in England’s preparation for the Test in Centurion, starting in two days’ time.
The squad has already been affected by an illness that ruled Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, and Jack Leach out of both warm-up matches. Although all three are on the mend, it remains to be seen whether they are considered fit enough to play at SuperSport Park.
