England Test captain Ben Stokes has suffered a significant facial injury after being hit by a cricket ball, as revealed in a post on his Instagram account. The image shows his right eye heavily swollen and bruised, along with a graze on his cheek and lip, and a bandage in his nose.
Stokes, 34, captioned the post with a light-hearted tone: 'You should see the state of the cricket ball.' The all-rounder recently returned from a disappointing Ashes tour in Australia, where England lost the series 4-1.
His captaincy and performance have come under scrutiny following the defeat, with an ongoing England and Wales Cricket Board review into the series. Coach Brendan McCullum has defended the team, describing some of the criticism as 'out of order'.
Stokes had a poor series with the bat, averaging 18.40 across ten innings, but took 15 wickets at an average of 25.13. His captaincy was questioned by pundits, and he admitted making 'big mistakes' during the series. Off-field issues, including a mid-trip to Noosa and reports of a drinking culture, also attracted controversy.
Back in England, Stokes is expected to potentially play for Durham in early County Championship rounds if his injury is not too serious. England's Test summer begins against New Zealand at Lord's on 4 June.
