2 min readUpdated: Feb 5, 2026 07:37 PM IST
England Test skipper Ben Stokes revealed a severely bruised right eye and a bleeding nose when he got hit flush on the face by a ball while in training. ‘You should see the state of the cricket ball,” Stokes posted with a laughing emoji on Instagram.
According to reports, Stokes wasn’t batting when the incident occurred but was standing on the side with his teammates. He couldn’t see the ball which ultimately struck him on the right side of the face. Stokes is currently recovering from an injury he sustained at the Ashes.
Stokes, who is out of England’s white-ball setup, will not be featuring in the upcoming T20 World Cup and is expected to return to action against New Zealand in a Test series in June.
Stokes position has been under the scanner after England took a 4-1 drubbing against Australia in the Ashes. Fast bowling great James Anderson had said that he was puzzled with captain Stokes appreciating the efforts of the players in his squad after such a dismal performance.
“When I saw Stokes come out and say, the way (Josh) Tongue and (Brydon) Carse have just run in like consistently, I had a Roy Keane moment,” said Anderson on BBC Radio. “I was like, that’s your job. If you’re not willing to run in all day for your team, don’t bother. You’re in the wrong sport.”
Stokes had said in the press conference after the fifth Test that England’s efforts in the Ashes can’t be questioned and that they lost due to shoddy execution. “We’ve dropped a lot of catches on this tour which have been very costly to the overall situation of the games. In terms up of stepping up, I can never fault anyone’s commitment or energy that they’ve given into this. We haven’t performed well, we know that, we hold our hands up to that. But no one should question the care and commitment to try and go out there and give it your absolute best. It’s just been down to the lack of execution,” Stokes said.
