England cricketer Stokes completes first half-marathon to raise funds for NHS

FILE PHOTO: Cricket - England Nets - Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand - November 28, 2019 England's Ben Stokes during nets REUTERS/Ross Setford

England cricketer Ben Stokes completed his first half-marathon on Tuesday to raise money for Britain's National Health Service (NHS) in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

All-rounder Stokes finished in one hour, 39 minutes and will donate the proceeds to NHS Charities Together, an organisation which represents over 140 NHS charities, as well as the national cricket charity Chance to Shine.

"That was so hard! Please donate if you can, it is all for a great cause," the World Cup-winner posted on Twitter after completing the run near his home in the north east of England.

FILE PHOTO: Ben Stokes is pictured with his OBE for services to cricket following an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, February 25, 2020. Kirsty O'Connor/Pool via REUTERS

The United Kingdom has Europe's highest death toll from the new coronavirus with more than 30,000 fatalities.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)