"I thought it was the reason I didn’t see my dad before he died" - When Ben Stokes hated cricket

England Test captain Ben Stokes reminisced about the time his father passed away and how he couldn't be there before his death. The star all-rounder admitted that it made him hate the sport.

Stokes' father, Gerard, passed away in December 2020 in Christchurch following a year-long battle with brain cancer. The all-rounder was in South Africa at the time, representing England in white-ball matches.

Speaking to The Guardian, the veteran cricketer recalled how his father loved watching him play for the Rajasthan Royals and wanted him to be part of IPL 2020. The all-rounder reflected that he would do things differently if he had the chance. Stokes said:

"The last time I saw Dad [I] was leaving New Zealand to go to the Indian Premier League – that was dictated by cricket. He wanted me to go, he really loved me playing for Rajasthan Royals and the people there."

"But it made me hate cricket, I thought it was the reason I didn’t see my dad before he died. I should have opened up about it sooner – I just thought ‘cricket, cricket, cricket’. It’s not a regret … but I’d do things differently."

The southpaw missed the Rajasthan Royals' first six games of IPL 2020. He mustered 285 runs in the eight games that he played at an average of 40.71, striking at 142.50. It also included a hundred against the Mumbai Indians.

"They jumped to conclusions" - Ben Stokes criticizes media amid Bristol incident

England Cricketer Ben Stokes at a trial for affray. (Credis: Getty)

Ben Stokes, whose career was under threat due to a brawl in Bristol in 2017, accused the media and certain journalists of painting a false picture of himself. He said:

"When I say the media are pieces of shit, it’s that they jumped to conclusions. I’m not the type of person to play out a vendetta publicly – it’s my moral high ground. But there was stuff people, certain people, journalists, outlets had but chose not to put out there because it didn’t reflect the way I was being written about."

Along with Alex Hales, the all-rounder was arrested on September 26, 2017, after a footage surfaced of a fight that left two men unconscious. During the trial, the New Zealand-born player defended himself by claiming that he had stepped in to save two gay men who were being abused. He was eventually acquitted of all charges in August 2018.