England Test captain Ben Stokes, who is currently under rehab recovering from his hamstring surgery, will miss the 2025 edition of the Hundred for the Northern Superchargers. As per ESPNCricinfo, Stokes in consultation with his Superchargers head coach Andrew Flintoff, has taken the call to skip the Hundred while keeping in mind the India Test series from June to August and the Ashes in the winter.
Stokes first injured his left hamstring during the Hundred last year and fought the battle against time to be fit for Pakistan Tests. He got through six Tests in span of two months before suffering a similar injury in the final Test against New Zealand, which showed a tear and he had to undergo another operation. With the Hundred set to kick off on August 5, a day after the five-match Test series against India ends, Stokes didn't want to risk anything for the away Ashes series.
On the other hand, senior all-rounder Moeen Ali is set to retire from English domestic cricket and he too will give the 100-ball tournament a miss as part of the decision. Moeen has made himself available for Warwickshire's Birmingham Bears for the T20 Blast as a player-coach while he undergoes qualification for ECB's Level III coaching.
Moeen, who led the Birmingham Phoenix in the first four seasons, will be available for the group stage of the Blast, which begins on May 30, a few days after the end of the IPL where he will represent the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
After Alex Hales (who has signed up with Knight Riders franchise for MLC and CPL), Stokes and Moeen will be two other high-profile names not to play in the Hundred. All eight teams are set to announce their 10 retentions on February 25 including the one overseas signing allowed directly before the draft. London Spirit have already named Kane Williamson as their overseas signing as the captain for the fifth edition.