Ben Stokes shares how his decision to return to cricket had been approved by his family with their love and blessing.
English player Ben Stokes had been granted by the ECB with an indefinite leave during their series against Pakistan last August. During those times, the 29-year-old player had spent five weeks in New Zealand to be with his father with brain cancer. After that, he made himself available for the ongoing IPL 2020 season.
Stokes arrived in the UAE last week and is still under a six-day quarantine. In his own column, he shared how he had come up with the decision to return. Based on what he had stated, the decision was not made alone as it had been approved with a blessing from his parents.
He says, ‘Sitting in a hotel room in quarantine once again after leaving New Zealand is not how I thought I would be arriving at the IPL, but here I am and all things considered, I'm in a good place. Saying goodbye to my dad, my mum and my brother in Christchurch was tough. It has been a difficult time for us as a family, but we've pulled together and supported each other as best we can’.
‘I didn't know what dad wanted, I didn't know what mum wanted so to start that conversation off was the hardest thing of all. And then mum made it simple, she said: "The time you are spending here now with your dad is so much more important than the time you will spend when the worst happens”. That is a tough thing to hear, but when it comes from your mum and your dad is reinforcing that message, then it makes things a lot easier to deal with’, he added.
As his father had reminded him of his playing responsibilities, Stokes went off to fly to the UAE and be a part of the Rajasthan Royals. As his quarantine comes to an end, he will play for their team’s next match where the odds are +116 for the Rajasthan Royals and -153.85 for the Delhi Capitals. To see the odds for other upcoming matches, visit Betwala.
READ MORE: Cricket Odds
