Ben Stokes’ father in critical condition in a Johannesburg hospital, reports the ECB

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement on Tuesday that allrounder Ben Stokes’ father has been admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg with serious illness. Stokes has skipped an England training session to be with his father.

“Ben Stokes’s father, Ged, was admitted to hospital on Monday in Johannesburg after suffering a serious illness. He remains in a critical condition,” a statement from ECB read.

“The all-rounder will not be at England’s training session at SuperSport Park this afternoon so that he can be at his father’s bedside. The England and Wales Cricket Board, with the support of Ben and his family, request that the media and public respect Ben and his family’s privacy at this time.”

Stokes’ family members had travelled with him to South Africa to celebrate Christmas, metro.co.uk reported. England are in South Africa for a four-match Test series that gets underway from Thursday at Centurion.

Whether the 28-year-old will be able to take field in the first Test or not is yet to be confirmed. In case if he cannot play the Boxing Day Test, Jonny Bairstow will be a likely replacement in the playing XI.

Stokes had a memorable 2019 in which he led England to their maiden ICC Cricket World Cup title with a brilliant role in the final against New Zealand which also awarded him the player of the tournament trophy. Later, he made a splendid century at Headingley to take England to an unbelievable win in the Ashes 2019 which helped England save the series. Just a few days ago, he was named BBC Sports Personality of The Year.

Stokes’ father Gerard “Ged” James Stokes is a former New Zealand rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and also coached the Serbian side from the 1980s till the 2010s.