Stokes targets May return after facial injury setback

England Test skipper Ben Stokes is targeting a return to competitive cricket next month after recovering from a facial injury sustained during a training session in February, an incident he admits could have been far more serious.

Reflecting on the injury, the England skipper said, “Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest. I copped one straight in the face. 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.”

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“All things considered, although I had a pretty major facial surgery to sort it out, it was a bit of a mess under here (cheekbone) – I’ve got out quite lucky. So pretty thankful for that.”

The injury has ruled Stokes out of the early part of the County Championship season as he continues his recovery. However, the all-rounder is optimistic about returning in time to build match fitness ahead of England’s crucial home summer.

“It obviously set everything back about a month, with getting back to where I wanted to be to play at the start of the season for Durham.

“I just had to sort of quickly go back to the drawing board and put a plan together to get me ready to play a couple of games for Durham before the Test summer starts,” he added.

England’s upcoming schedule includes a high-profile three-match Test series against New Zealand starting June 4 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, followed by fixtures against Pakistan as part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle.

After a 1-4 defeat to Australia in the Ashes DownUnder, England currently sit seventh in the World Test Championship standings, making Stokes’ return all the more significant as they look to regain momentum.