Ged Stokes, father of England cricketer Ben Stokes and a former New Zealand rugby league international, has sadly passed away at the age of 65 after a prolonged battle with cancer. The news of his death was confirmed by Ged’s former rugby club Workington Town where he had served as a player and coach. "It is with great sadness that we learn our former player and coach Ged Stokes has passed away," the club announced on Twitter. "Ged is written into the rich fabric of Town history and will be greatly missed.” Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Ben Stokes Make Ian Bell’s Son Joseph ‘Incredibly Happy’ With Special Birthday Wishes (Watch Video).

"Our thoughts are with Deb, Ben and James. Ged still has many, many friends here in West Cumbria and we send our thoughts to them too,” the statement read. Ged Stokes had played one season for the club in 1982-83 before returning as a coach in 2003 when the family had moved from New Zealand to England.

Workington Town Confirms Ged Stokes' Passing

He had been diagnosed with brain cancer in December last year when Ben Stokes was part of England’s tour of South Africa. Stokes was also granted indefinite leave to spend time with his family in New Zealand and had left the England vs Pakistan Test series in August earlier this year. Stokes returned to cricketing action in late October during IPL 2020 and joined the Rajasthan Royals camp in UAE after missing the first two matches.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Stokes had written about his father in his column for Daily Mirror. "It has been a difficult time for us as a family, but we've pulled together and supported each other as best we can,” he had written. “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."

Stokes had also dedicated his century for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 to his father. He had celebrated the milestone with a three-fingered salute, referring to the amputation Ged underwent when playing rugby league in New Zealand. He was also recently part of England’s limited-overs tour of South Africa 2020 and played in the 3-0 series T20I series win. The series was later postponed due to positive COVID-19 results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2020 08:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).