English cricketer and veteran Test captain Ben Stokes will miss the first month of the county season after recovering from facial injuries following successful surgery.
Durham coach Campbell said Ben Stokes has agreed to play in this season’s Metro One Day Cup after the English captain was ruled out of The Hundred. Since announcing his retirement from the white-ball format, he has not featured in a single List A game since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup.
However, as per the latest revelations, he is also aiming to use the One-Day Cup to regain fitness ahead of the second Test assignment of this WTC against Pakistan.
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Ben Stokes’ return to county cricket delayed by several weeks
The English red-ball captain is likely to miss the first month of the county season as he recovers from facial injuries sustained during a training accident. Stokes’ cheekbone was broken along with cuts and bruises.
However, following the injuries, he announced through a social media post that his subsequent surgery was successful and his rehabilitation process is well on track. Stokes, whose last appearance was in the Ashes, was likely to return against Kent in the first round Rothesay County Championship fixtures next week.
He is very likely to sit out the first four matches of this summer as he returns to prepare for the New Zealand Test series. Durham coach Ryan Campbell said, “He’s going to play the first game; he’s been working very hard to get ready. But he won’t play in that one; obviously, we’ll have to wait for the experts to clear him.”
English coach frightened by Ben Stokes’ injury, said – it is a bit scary, but reminds us all to keep our eyes on the ball.
Campbell further believed that Stokes was fortunate that it did not impact him as much as it could have. The nature of the trauma was not that bad, and the effects of the incident still persist.
He said, “It was worse than you thought. The ball hit so hard, we were lucky to survive.”
After this he further said that this incident was a bit scary and it reminds us to keep our eyes on the ball.
Cricket world excited by the return of Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes will once again return to the team after being away from the field for some time due to injury. Durham and the entire cricket fraternity will be excited to see his tenure as England captain continue after a massive collapse following the 4-1 Ashes defeat.
“He’s got a lot to prove. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that the Ashes haven’t been so good,” Campbell said.
“It’s exciting for England to see what he’s been doing to get ready because the guy can play,” he concluded.
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