Ben Stokes suffers gruesome facial injury; left with black eye, bloody nose and cut cheek

England Test captain Ben Stokes on Thursday shared a picture of his bruised and battered face after appearing to take a nasty blow from a cricket ball during training. Stokes posted the update on his Instagram account.

In the picture, Stokes is seen with swelling and bruising under his right eye, a cut on his cheek, and a cotton-wool plug in his nose to stem the bleeding. “You should see the state of the cricket ball,” he wrote as the caption, accompanied by a laughing emoji.

Stokes’ return to training will come as encouragement for England fans, even though he is likely to take a few days off to recover from the bruising.

ALSO READ: Suryakumar Yadav breaks silence on Pakistan’s boycott of India T20 World Cup match: ‘We didn’t say no. They did’

The all-rounder has endured a difficult period with injuries. He suffered an adductor issue during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in early January, which prevented him from bowling in Australia’s second innings. Stokes eventually endured a disappointing tour, pushing his physical limits to bowl for England but struggling for runs with the bat as England lost the series 1–4.

In the aftermath of the Ashes defeat, Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum faced criticism, though the England captain publicly reaffirmed his desire to continue leading the Test side. He remains contracted as captain until the end of next summer.

This latest blow adds to a growing list of physical setbacks for Stokes. In 2024, he tore his hamstring twice and was sidelined for England’s long home series against India due to a shoulder injury. A year earlier, he underwent knee surgery following a prolonged layoff.

Stokes is expected to return to action in late May, when England begin preparations for the Test summer with a home series against New Zealand. With the all-rounder unlikely to enter next month’s Hundred auction, his focus remains firmly on Test cricket.

Click here to read article