England Test captain Ben Stokes has recently undergone surgery after sustaining facial injuries during a training session with his county side, Durham. The incident occurred when Stokes was watching a net session and was accidentally struck by a cricket ball, resulting in damage to his cheekbone, nose, and eye. Despite the severity of the injuries, Stokes has stayed positive, updating fans from his hospital bed.
Stokes posted a photo of his bruised face from the hospital immediately after sustaining the injury and captioned it, “You should see the state of the cricket ball.” He has continued his light-hearted approach to the matter right after his eye surgery.
The England Test captain said that the surgery had gone as planned alongside a new image, maintaining his sense of humor and keeping supporters informed about his recovery progress.
“May not look like it but the surgery was a success,” Stokes wrote in his message.
HOW STOKES TOOK BLAIM FOR INJURY
During the net session, 18-year-old Robbie Bowman hit the ball that struck Stokes. According to Durham coach Ryan Campbell, Stokes quickly took responsibility for the incident. Campbell explained,
“Stokesy said he broke the No.1 rule of being a coach in the nets — never turn your back on the batter,” Durham coach told The Sun.
“Robbie hit the ball hard. Players shouted out a warning but Stokesy ended up turning his head towards the ball.” The warning from players was not enough to prevent the impact, and the ball caused significant facial injuries to Stokes.
Stokes’s handling of the situation extended beyond accepting fault.
I’ll tell you this because Stokesy never would. He phoned Robbie Bowman from his hospital and told him not to worry. He’d have known that Robbie would have been beside himself but Ben said it was his fault. That sums up the sort of bloke Stokesy is,” Campbell added.
As Stokes’s recovery timeline remains uncertain, there is still hope he could feature in the County Championship before England’s three-Test series against New Zealand, which begins June 4. Alongside facial surgery, Stokes has also been recovering from an adductor issue sustained during the final Ashes Test against Australia.
Stokes was lined up to be part of the England Lions coaching setup for the Pakistan A tour.
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