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England captain Ben Stokes has appealed for information after it emerged his home was broken into during the Test tour of Pakistan.
On October 17, Stokes’ home in the village of Castle Eden, Durham, was broken into while his wife and two children were at the property.
Numerous “irreplaceable” personal items were taken and the 33-year-old urged anyone with information to contact police.
“On the evening of Thursday October 17th, several masked individuals broke into my home in the Castle Eden area of the North East,” Stokes said on social media. “They fled with jewelry, other valuables and many personal items. Many of these items have real sentimental value to me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
“This is a call for all help in finding the people who committed this act. The worst thing about this crime, by far, is that it was committed while my wife and two young children were in the house. Luckily, no one in my family was physically harmed. Understandably, however, the experience had an impact on her emotional and mental state. All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.
“I am releasing photos of some of the stolen items – I hope they can be easily identified – in the hope that we can find the people responsible.”
“Although we have lost valuable possessions, my sole motivation in sharing these photos is not the recovery of material items. It’s about catching the people who did this. If you think you have relevant information, please contact Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927.
“Finally, I would like to thank the police. The support from my family has been excellent both now and during my stay in Pakistan. They continue to work incredibly hard to find these people.”
England were beaten 2-1 by Pakistan in their three-Test series, with Stokes returning to the side for the second game in Multan. The third day of the encounter took place on the day of the break-in.
The all-rounder had missed the opening game with a hamstring injury and struggled to return to top form, although head coach Brendon McCullum supported his skipper to return to full strength.
“We all know how ambitious and driven the skipper is. The way the series is going will hurt him at the moment,” McCullum said.
“He’s disappointed but he’s our captain and we know he’s a tough guy. He will make sure he comes back, and it is our job to make sure we put our arms around him and help him along the way. It’s my job to make sure I’m there to support him.”
