LONDON: England Test captain Ben Stokes suffered a serious facial injury after being hit by a cricket ball.
The 34-year-old all-rounder posted a photo on Instagram showing his very swollen and bruised right eye, a scratch on his cheek and lip and a bandage on his nose.
“You should see the state of the cricket ball,” the caption on Stokes’ image read, along with a laughing face emoji.
Stokes is back in England after a woeful Ashes tour, which ended with a 4-1 series defeat to Australia last month.
Although Stokes has made it clear that he wants to remain captain of the red-ball team, his position remains uncertain amid a review by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
England coach Brendon McCullum has branded some of the fallout resulting from the Ashes as “out of character”.
Stokes is no longer a member of the England white-ball team and will not take part in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka which begins this weekend.
He could next play for Durham in the early rounds of the County Championship before England begin their home Test season against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 4, Stokes’ 35th birthday.
Stokes is currently recovering from an adductor injury sustained during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January.
The injury prevented him from bowling in Australia’s second innings and completed a frustrating tour for the England captain, who bowled well throughout the series but struggled with the bat.
Stokes’ groin problem is the latest of several injuries that have derailed his career.
In 2024, he ruptured his hamstring twice and finished last season’s home series against India on the sidelines due to a shoulder problem, having had surgery in late 2023 to treat knee problems.
Stokes is contracted to England until the end of the 2027 home summer season and can now avoid taking part in next month’s Hundred auction, leaving him free to concentrate on the Test team.
