England Test captain Stokes has surgery after being hit in face by ball

England Test captain Ben Stokes has said that he has undergone successful surgery after being struck in the face by a cricket ball.

The 34-year-old all-rounder posted a picture on Instagram last week showing his eye heavily swollen and bruised, a graze on his cheek and lip, and a bandage stuffed in his nose.

“You should see the state of the cricket ball,” read the caption, alongside a laughing face emoji.

On Tuesday he posted again from hospital with a photo of his swollen face and the caption: “May not look like it but the surgery was a success.”

Stokes is back in England following a woeful Ashes tour, which ended with a 1-4 series loss to Australia.

Although he has made it clear he wants to continue to captain the red-ball side, his position remains uncertain, with an England and Wales Cricket Board review pending.

Stokes is no longer a member of England’s white-ball set-up and isn’t at the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

He could next play for Durham in the early rounds of the County Championship before England begins its home Test season against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 4 — Stokes’s 35th birthday.

Published on Feb 11, 2026

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