Stokes ‘hurting’ with how Pak series has unfolded, says McCullum
England head coach Brendon McCullum said captain Ben Stokes will be "hurting" after the 2-1 Test series defeat against Pakistan.
England all-rounder is all set to join the Rajasthan Royals squad in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) there.
The Royals on Thursday posted a picture of Stokes en route to the UAE on their official social media handles. The 28-year-old earlier had also posted on Instagram pictures of him bidding adieu to his family.
Stokes will have to undergo six days of quarantine on arrival in the UAE as per the Covid-19 protocols for IPL 2020.
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In August, Stokes had pulled out of the Pakistan Test series midway in order to be with his family in New Zealand after his father was diagnosed with cancer. After featuring in the first Test against Pakistan earlier this month, Stokes had left for New Zealand to be with his family.
Stokes’ arrival in the UAE will be a big boost for the Royals as it would add more strength to their batting unit, which is currently heavily dependent on Sanju Samson and Steve Smith.
The likes of Jos Buttler and Robin Uthappa have not been able to perform for the Royals so far. While Uthappa has scored just 16 runs in the three innings he has played for the Royals, Buttler has scored 25 runs in the two innings he has played so far in the tournament.
Stokes has so far played 34 IPL matches for the Royals across three seasons, in which he has scored 635 runs and scalped 26 wickets.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 37 runs on Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Batting first, KKR posted 174/6 in 20 overs before the bowlers restricted Rajasthan to 137/9. It was KKR’s second win on the trot, while the Royals lost their first match in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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