England Test captain Ben Stokes gave fans a shock on social media after revealing the extent of injuries he suffered when a cricket ball struck him flush on the face during a training session.
Hit on the sidelines during training
Stokes shared a photo on his Instagram story showing a badly bruised right eye and a bleeding nose, making light of the incident despite the visible damage. “You should see the state of the cricket ball,” he wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
Reportedly, the incident did not occur while Stokes was batting. He was standing on the sidelines with teammates when he failed to pick up the ball in time. The delivery struck the right side of his face, leaving him with facial injuries but no indication of serious long-term damage.
Recovery phase continues for England skipper
The training mishap comes at a time when Stokes is already in recovery mode. The all-rounder is nursing an injury sustained during the Ashes series and remains out of England’s white-ball setup. He will not be part of the upcoming T20 World Cup and is expected to return to competitive action during the Test series against New Zealand in June.
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England’s Ashes campaign ended in disappointment, with the side suffering a 4-1 series defeat to Australia. In the aftermath, Stokes’ leadership and post-match remarks have drawn scrutiny from former players and analysts.
Anderson questions post-Ashes messaging
Veteran fast bowler James Anderson recently questioned Stokes’ public backing of his players following the series loss. Speaking on BBC Radio, Anderson said he was puzzled by Stokes praising the effort levels of bowlers Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse despite the heavy defeat.
“When I saw Stokes come out and say, the way (Josh) Tongue and (Brydon) Carse have just run in like consistently, I had a Roy Keane moment,” Anderson said on BBC Radio, adding, “I was like, that’s your job. If you’re not willing to run in all day for your team, don’t bother. You’re in the wrong sport.”
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Stokes defends team commitment
Stokes, however, has stood firm on his assessment. Speaking after the fifth Test, he said England’s losses stemmed from poor execution rather than a lack of effort.
“We’ve dropped a lot of catches on this tour which have been very costly to the overall situation of the games. In terms up of stepping up, I can never fault anyone’s commitment or energy that they’ve given into this. We haven’t performed well, we know that, we hold our hands up to that. But no one should question the care and commitment to try and go out there and give it your absolute best. It’s just been down to the lack of execution”, Stokes further said.
