England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed a significant and gruesome facial injury after being struck by a cricket ball, posting a striking image on social media that shows heavy swelling and bruising around his right eye.
Shocking Social Media Post Shows Injury Extent
The 34-year-old all-rounder shared the image on his Instagram account, displaying his right eye heavily swollen and bruised, alongside visible grazes on his cheek and lip. A bandage was also clearly visible stuffed into his nose, indicating the severity of the impact.
Stokes light-heartedly captioned the post with the remark: "You should see the state of the cricket ball," attempting to inject some humour into what appears to be a serious sporting injury.
Injury Comes Amid Post-Ashes Scrutiny
The injury revelation comes at a challenging time for Stokes, who recently returned to England following a dismal Ashes tour that concluded last month with a convincing 4-1 series defeat to Australia.
His position as captain remains under scrutiny amid an ongoing England and Wales Cricket Board review into the series performance, with the post-mortem continuing as England coach Brendan McCullum has claimed some of the fallout has been "out of order."
Disappointing Ashes Campaign Details
England had travelled to Australia with optimism high that they could secure a first Ashes win Down Under since the 2010-11 series, but Stokes' men lost the first three Tests as Australia retained the Ashes within just eleven days.
While England did pick up a consolation win in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, they slipped to another defeat in the series finale in Sydney, completing a disappointing tour.
Stokes endured a particularly miserable series with the bat, averaging just 18.40 across ten innings, although he fared somewhat better with the ball, taking fifteen wickets at an average of 25.13.
Captaincy and Off-Field Controversies
The all-rounder's captaincy was also called into question during the series, with some cricket pundits critical of his bowling changes and field placings. Stokes himself admitted after the series that he had made some significant mistakes along the way.
England's off-field antics also sparked controversy during the tour, with a mid-series trip to Noosa attracting headlines amid reports of a drinking culture within the England camp.
Recovery and Future Cricket Commitments
Now back in England, Stokes is expected to potentially feature for Durham in the early County Championship rounds, provided his facial injuries are not too serious to prevent participation.
This would come before England's Test summer kicks off against New Zealand at Lord's on 4 June, giving the captain limited recovery time before international duties resume.
The extent of the injury and recovery timeline remains unclear, but the visible damage suggests Stokes may face a challenging rehabilitation period ahead of his next cricketing commitments.
