Ben Stokes has ditched alcohol during his recent injury rehab in a determined effort to be at the top of his game for England this season. The England Test captain is poised to return to action on Thursday in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, having been out of the game since December with a torn left hamstring sustained in New Zealand.
Keen not to repeat past mistakes of rushing back from a similar injury, Stokes has been meticulously following a managed recovery plan post-surgery, ensuring he honours his commitment to come back at his absolute best. During a candid conversation on the UNTAPPED podcast, the 33-year-old Durham all-rounder reflected: “After my first major injury, I remember the shock of it, after the initial adrenaline had stopped, thinking, ‘How has this happened? We did have a bit of a drink four or five nights ago, could that have played a part? It wouldn’t have helped’.
“Then I was like ‘OK, I need to start changing what I do’. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely sober but I’ve not had a drink since January 2. I said to myself ‘Not until I finish my injury rehab and get back on the field’.
“I think the day I wake up and can’t be bothered to do the training programme is getting towards that time you don’t really want it any more. But I haven’t got any interest in stopping.
“It’s just getting harder to do everything. Hence why now I feel like I have to work so much harder away from the field, in the gym and all that kind of stuff to just give me the best chance of being out there to perform. But I’ll keep going as long as I possibly can.”
Eager to play a comprehensive role as an all-rounder against Zimbabwe, Stokes opened up about how his relationship with alcohol has dramatically altered since his younger days.
The well-publicised court case where Stokes was acquitted of affray made headlines, centring around his alcohol intake on a night out in Bristol back in 2017, which culminated in a street brawl.
Acknowledging cricket’s historically uneasy association with alcohol, Stokes conceded that he along with many other players have had to adjust their behaviour to meet the professional game’s evolving standards.
Stokes remarked: “I can have a social drink now. It used to drive my wife Clare mad that I would just be all or nothing.
“If we’d go for a nice dinner, I never really understood why it was so frustrating to her but all she wanted to do is share a glass of wine with her husband. Now I get it. I can appreciate it for what it is, not just to get me p****d.
“The anecdotes about heavy drinking in the 90s and 00s were legendary. But things have certainly calmed down a lot these past years.
“The game is more demanding on the body than it was. There’s so much more cricket, there’s so much more in the schedule that it’s just impossible for the body to be able to withstand all of that anyway without the downsides of what a couple of beers at the end of the day can do to you for the next day.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk