Stokes has taken an indefinite break from the game to focus on his mental wellbeing and recovery from a broken fingerBen Stokes’s withdrawal from cricket for an indefinite period comes as a shock because this is a cricketer with a justified reputation for never showing pain, fear or taking a backward step, but his case may prove to be the first of several from the top end of the men’s game. Those close to the England team, who are fulfilling by far the busiest schedule of any international side, have been warning about the issue of mental health since the sport became the first to resume after the outbreak of the pandemic. SponsoredThe rotation policy may not have been implemented perfectly, but it was very much necessary if the most in-demand players were not to be broken on the anvil of a relentless programme of

Source: The Times July 31, 2021 11:01 UTC