England captain Ben Stokes will miss the first month of the county season as he recovers from facial injuries sustained in a training accident. Stokes suffered a broken cheekbone, cuts and bruising after being struck by a ball hit by academy prospect Robbie Bowman in the nets at Chester-le-Street.
Stokes underwent surgery, which he declared a success on social media, but the rehabilitation process has delayed his return. He was initially hoping to play for Durham against Kent in the first round of County Championship fixtures next week, but that is no longer possible. He is now expected to miss the first four matches of the summer before preparing for the New Zealand Test series by facing Worcestershire and Kent in May.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell said: 'He was going to play the first game, he’s been training so hard to be ready. But he won’t play in that obviously, we have to wait for the specialists to clear him. Unfortunately it’s made a change, the accidental bump.' Campbell added that the blow was 'so, so much worse than you’d think' and that Stokes was lucky not to suffer an eye injury.
Campbell also noted that Stokes has 'a lot to prove' after a difficult Ashes series, where England lost 4-1. 'He is a proud man who wants England to be the best team in the world. I have no doubt the Ashes knocked him for six. He was gutted but now he has taken a breath.'
Stokes has also agreed to play in this season’s One-Day Cup, having opted out of The Hundred, to build fitness ahead of the Test series against Pakistan.
