Ben Stokes suffers facial injury after being hit by ball in nets

ISLAMABAD: England Test captain Ben Stokes has been hit in the face by a ball, leaving him with a swollen and visible bruise around his eye.

Stokes confirmed his injury via an Instagram story, jokingly writing, “You should see the condition of the ball.”

According to sources, Stokes was neither batting nor bowling at the time, but was standing on the sidelines during a nets session when the ball hit his cheek.

Ben Stokes has been in the process of rehabilitation since leaving the field with an adductor injury during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney last month. He will travel to Abu Dhabi later this month to continue his recovery and will also join the England Lions squad led by Andrew Flintoff in an informal coaching role.

Stokes has not played white-ball cricket for England since the 2023 ODI World Cup and is not part of the squad for the T20 World Cup, which begins this week.

His next international appearance is likely to be in the first Test of the home series against New Zealand in June, although he could also represent Durham in the County Championship before then.

After the 4-1 defeat to Australia, Stokes said he was fully committed to continuing in his role as Test captain and had the full support of head coach Brendon McCullum.