Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

Ben Stokes has returned to play in the IPL 2020 season after taking a break from cricket. Stokes was granted indefinite compassionate leave from England Cricket Board (ECB) after he received the news of his father’s brain cancer. In an emotional column written for The Mirror, the world class all-rounder shared his thoughts as he left his family behind in New Zealand.

“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. And I was able to get on the plane with my parents’ love and blessing after we reached the decision, for me to get back playing, as a family with no external influences”, he wrote.

Before Stokes interacted with his family, he was in quarantine in Auckland as he had just left from England mid-series against Pakistan in August. “The first week was all about seeing dad and catching up with family, but things were up in the air and there was no plan about how things would pan out. My dad was also very strong on the responsibilities I have. He told me I have a duty to do the job that I do and I have a duty as a husband and father as well. We gave it all a lot of thought and talked it over at length, and we came to a decision that now sees me back focusing on the game and then I’ll be heading home to Clare and the kids. When I was there I was able to leave cricket behind completely for five weeks. I would just wake up and be useful. That meant looking after dad when mum went to work”, he added.

After spending some quality time with his father and doing the normal things for him such as going out for coffee or watching TV or going out to parks. “It was great getting out, but he gets tired quite easily so we’d head home and relax for a bit and then in the afternoon we’d go to the park across the road and feed the ducks and get some more fresh air. In between, dad would get quite a few visitors from back in his old rugby league days and it was great to sit with them and hear the old stories about when they were playing and what dad was like. That was pretty cool. Times have definitely changed”, he said.

RR has lost three matches in a row after their two stellar performances in Sharjah. Stokes is currently in six-day quarantine currently and might play on October 9 against Delhi Capitals.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.