Ben Stokes is taking an indefinite break from all cricket to “prioritise his mental well-being” and further rest his left index finger which has not fully healed after surgery.
He's lost his father this year. He's had to spend most of the last 18 months in various bubbles around the world (which at times was stuck in a hotel room 24/7). He's obviously been away from his family for the bulk of this period. He's then expected to perform consistently at elite level by sponsors, franchises, supporters etc, ECB are also setting ridiculous schedules at international level, on top of the franchise tournaments which if you have the ability, you're gonna be lured by the money. Brave decision, well done Ben.. I wonder if without Simone Biles doing similar, he'd have made that decision? Both are rightly seen as very tough to get where they are.