England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed the scary moment he suffered a “very bad” injury earlier this year. Ben Stokes, who is known for his fearless attitude, revealed that things could have gone very wrong if he had not turned his head.
The journey has not been easy; Still, there is relief that things are moving in the right direction for the star all-rounder. The accident happened at an indoor training center in Durham in February. He was simply standing near the nets while coaching young players during a session.
When Ben Stokes got seriously injured on his face
Suddenly 18 year old batsman Robbie Bowman hit the ball hard and the ball went straight to Stokes’ face. The collision was very serious as the ball hit him directly and broke his cheekbone. His right eye was badly swollen and bruised, there were cut marks on his face and his nose was bleeding.
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It was a terrifying moment for everyone present at the indoor training center in Durham. Soon after the incident, Stokes had to undergo facial surgery, which fortunately went well. But recovery took longer than expected, as his return was pushed back for the county season from April to May 2026.
Ben Stokes calls escape ‘lucky’ after horror injury
Sharing updates on his recovery, Stokes admitted that it was a tough phase, and the situation could have been much worse, but he managed to avoid anything more dangerous. That thought has helped the England captain remain positive during his recovery.
Stokes said in an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB): “Yeah, hit straight in the face. Too bad, but to be honest it’s probably the best outcome of a bad situation. Just a few inches one way or the other; I wouldn’t be doing this interview here if I hadn’t turned my head.
Yes, all things considered, although I did have major facial surgery to resolve it. Something was wrong down here. Turned out to be quite lucky. So yes, very grateful for that.”
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Ben Stokes plans county comeback ahead of big Test comeback
Now Stokes’ main focus is on getting fully fit. The top all-rounder revealed that he plans to play a few county matches for Durham before the busy international season begins.
If all goes well, Stokes is expected to return as England captain in the first Test of the home summer starting against New Zealand at Lord’s from June 4.
Stokes signed off by saying, “And yes, obviously everything was pushed back by about a month, five weeks, to where I wanted to be playing at the start of the season for Durham.
But yeah, just had to quickly go back to the drawing board and make a plan to get me ready to play some games for Durham before the Test summer starts. So yes, it’s all at the tail end now, but it was a very scary situation, but thankfully it’s still here and everything is fine.
Ben Stokes was so close to something life-changing. pic.twitter.com/A4Zy9ggsFi
– England Cricket (@englandcricket) 15 April 2026
