England Test captain Ben Stokes recently underwent surgery after sustaining a facial injury during training with county side Durham. The incident occurred when Stokes was watching a net session and was accidentally hit by a cricket ball, resulting in damage to his cheekbone, nose and eye. Despite the seriousness of the injury, Stokes has remained positive and has been updating fans from his hospital bed.
Stokes posted a photo of his bruised face from hospital immediately after the injury, captioning it: “You should see the state of the cricket ball. He continued his light-hearted approach even after the eye operation.
The England Test captain said the operation went according to plan along with a new image, retaining his sense of humor and keeping supporters updated on his recovery progress.
“It may not look like it, but the operation was a success,” Stokes wrote in his report.
Credit: Ben Stokes Instagram
HOW STOKES BLAME FOR INJURIES
During net play, 18-year-old Robbie Bowman hit a ball that hit Stokes. According to Durham coach Ryan Campbell, Stokes quickly took responsibility for the incident. Campbell explained,
“Stokesy said he had broken the No.1 rule of being a coach in the nets – never turn your back to bat,” the Durham coach told The Sun.
“Robbie hit the ball hard. The players shouted warnings but Stokesy finally turned his head towards the ball. Warnings from the players were not enough to prevent the impact and the ball caused considerable facial injuries to Stokes.
Stokes’ handling of the situation went beyond accepting guilt.
I’ll tell you because Stokesy never did. He called Robbie Bowman from his hospital and told him not to worry. He knew Robbie would be beside himself, but Ben said it was his fault. That sums up the type of guy Stokesy is,” added Campbell.
With Stokes’ recovery timeline remaining uncertain, there is still hope he could feature in the County Championship ahead of England’s three-Test series against New Zealand starting on June 4. Apart from facial surgery, Stokes is also recovering from an adductor problem he suffered during the final Ashes Test against Australia.
Stokes has been lined up to be part of the England Lions coaching set-up on tour Pakistan A.
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Published on:
February 11, 2026