England cricketer Ben Stokes’ father Gerard Stokes is suffering from Brian cancer, Gerad, the former Kiwis rugby league player, himself revealed about the illness. "They had to assess how I travelled and from that they discovered I had a couple of tumours on my brain as well. So, basically brain cancer. How that came about nobody knows but obviously I've had a few bangs on my head through my life so that's probably contributed to it,” Gerad told the Weekend Herald.

Ben, who left the Test series against Pakistan mid-way, has now arrived in New Zealand to be with his ailing father. The England all-rounder said it has been tough for him and his decision to leave the team was right one. "I didn't sleep for a week and my head wasn't really in it. Leaving [the team] was the right choice from a mental point of view,” Ben said.

Ben revealed his father helped him become what he is now. "He was tough [on me]. But as I got older I realised it was all for a reason. He knew I wanted to be a professional sportsman and he was drilling that into me as I started to make a career in cricket,” the English cricketer said.

"His reputation sort of speaks for itself. You speak to anyone who knows him, played with him or worked with him, they'd all say the same thing. Most people acquire a softer side with age and sometimes with dad that has been quite weird to see. What he's going through has brought that side out as well – we all knew he had it, he just didn't show it that often,” he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2020 01:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).