England Test captain Ben Stokes will be sidelined for at least the first month of the county season as he recovers from serious facial injuries sustained during a training session. The 34-year-old all-rounder suffered a broken cheekbone after being struck by a ball in nets with his Durham teammates last month.
Stokes underwent surgery which was reported as successful, though images he shared on social media revealed the severity of the injury, showing significant swelling and bruising on his face. Due to the lengthy rehabilitation required, his return to competitive cricket has been postponed.
Originally, Stokes had aimed to make his comeback in Durham’s opening County Championship match against Kent next week. However, he is now expected to miss the first four fixtures of the domestic campaign. Instead, he is likely to prepare for England’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand by playing in matches against Worcestershire and Kent in May.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell confirmed, “He was going to play the first game, he’s been training hard to be ready. But he won’t feature in that match as we await clearance from the specialists.” Campbell added that the injury was the result of an unfortunate accident during training, which has altered Stokes’ schedule.
“He is pencilled in for the Worcestershire and Kent games, and probably just those two,” Campbell said. “He needs time to recover fully from the facial injury and then rebuild his fitness. It’s a long summer ahead, and he has a plan in place. He’s eager and ready to return.”
The coach also remarked on the severity of the incident, noting how fortunate Stokes was to avoid more serious harm. “The impact was much worse than it appeared. The ball was hit with tremendous force, and we are lucky he escaped with just a broken cheekbone,” Campbell explained.
“If the ball had struck his eye, the outcome could have been much more serious. Thankfully, his cheekbone absorbed the blow and protected the rest of his face. It’s a stark reminder for everyone to always keep their eye on the ball.”
