Ben Stokes has announced he has been given the all clear to return to cricket.
The England captain suffered a broken right cheekbone and other facial injuries after he was hit in the face by a ball in an accident while he was coaching Durham’s academy players in February.
Stokes underwent surgery and targeted playing in two County Championship games next month for Durham.
Ben Stokes was this close 🤏 to things being life-changingly different. pic.twitter.com/A4Zy9ggsFi
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 15, 2026
The 34-year-old gave up update on his recovery on Instagram, writing: “Doc gave the all clear. Eyes good. See ya soon @countychampionship @durhamcricket”
Speaking about the incident earlier this month in an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board, Stokes revealed the incident could have been a lot worse, saying: “I copped one straight in the face.
“Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest. Just a couple of inches one way or the other, I might not be here doing this interview, if I didn’t turn my head round.”
Stokes is expected to be ready to lead England in their first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s beginning on June 4.
