Ben Stokes turned up to England’s recovery camp this week with a shiner and a swollen cheek, the result of a loose ball that caught him while he watched a nets session from the sidelines.
The Test captain posted a photograph on Instagram, alongside the dead-pan caption: “You should see the state of the ball.” Those in the ground confirm he was neither batting nor bowling at the time; he had simply wandered across to observe a drill when the ball ricocheted his way.
Stokes has been rehabbing an adductor strain picked up during the final Ashes Test in Sydney last month. The plan remains unchanged. He is scheduled to travel to Abu Dhabi later in February for more conditioning work and will spend a few days with Andrew Flintoff’s Lions squad, offering informal advice.
White-ball commitments are on hold. Stokes has not featured in limited-overs cricket since the 2023 50-over World Cup and is absent from England’s party for the T20 tournament that begins this weekend. His next appearance for the national side is pencilled in for the first Test against New Zealand in June, although Durham hope to give him a Championship outing or two before then.
After England’s 4–1 defeat in Australia, Stokes reaffirmed both his appetite for the job and his faith in the current regime. “It’s not my decision [but] I’m sure if something ever comes to it, I’ll be asked my opinion and he’ll be getting my full support and backing,” he said of head coach Brendon McCullum. “I absolutely love working with Baz. He’s a great man and he’s a very, very, very good coach.”
Medical staff describe the facial bruising as superficial; no timelines have shifted. For a captain keen to resume bowling overs and leading from the front, the incident is an unwelcome irritation rather than a genuine setback.
