England captain Ben Stokes has vowed not to scale back his workload as an allrounder despite suffering a recurrence of a left hamstring injury during the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park. Stokes, 33, pulled up on the third day of the Test as New Zealand set England a daunting target of 658 after posting 453 in their second innings.

Stokes, who had his left thigh heavily strapped, sat out the final day's play, which saw England dismissed for 234, handing New Zealand a 423-run victory. Despite the loss, England clinched the Crowe-Thorpe trophy 2-1, securing their first series win in New Zealand since 2008.

The England allrounder will undergo a scan on Wednesday morning in Hamilton to assess the injury, but he has already downplayed its severity compared to a torn hamstring he sustained in August while batting in the men's Hundred. That injury had forced him to miss four Tests, including a three-match series against Sri Lanka and the first Test of their tour to Pakistan. This time, Stokes walked off the field unaided, a sign that the injury is less serious.

Stokes, who had spent the past month in New Zealand building himself back up after knee surgery in November, bowled 23 overs on day one of the third Test, his most in a single day during his career. By the end of the match, he had bowled 36.2 overs, his most in a Test in over two years.

Despite the setback, Stokes is adamant that he will not alter his approach moving forward. The injury, he says, is simply a part of the risk involved in being an athlete.

"I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game," Stokes said. "It's just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain't holding back."

Stokes expressed his disappointment at walking off the field early, admitting he felt emotional about the injury and questioned whether he could have done more. However, after reflecting on the situation, he remains confident that he will make a swift return.

"Every time you walk out to field as an athlete, you're putting yourself at risk of getting injured, whether you feel great or you don't," he added. "I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game, and it's just sod's law – the first time in a while I feel like I'm young again, something happens."

Despite the loss in the final Test, Stokes was pleased with England’s overall performance in the series. The team had already secured their third series win of the year, which included nine victories and eight defeats, and they will take confidence from their success in the first two Tests.

"We came here to beat New Zealand, a team who are very competitive wherever they go in the world," Stokes said. "To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, the same mindset, but unfortunately, we just didn’t play anywhere near our capabilities."

Stokes reflected on the team's achievement of winning the series in New Zealand, a feat they had not accomplished since 2008. "It's obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss, but what we came here to achieve, we managed to achieve," he said. "It's no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them because they're a very strong team in their home conditions."