New Delhi: England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has described himself as fortunate to have avoided more serious consequences after sustaining a facial injury earlier this year, as he continues his recovery with an eye on the upcoming international season.
Stokes sustained a broken right cheekbone and several facial injuries in February after being hit by a cricket ball while training with Durham’s academy players. He subsequently had surgery and is now close to returning to competitive cricket.
Opening up about the incident, Stokes admitted the outcome could have been far worse.
"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,” Stokes said as part of an interview with the ECB.
Despite the severity of the injury and the subsequent procedure, the 32-year-old expressed gratitude at having escaped long-term damage.
“All things considered, although I had 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. 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,” he stated.
The setback forced Stokes to reassess his preparation, but he is now closing in on a return to action.
"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. I'm at the back end of all that now but it was a pretty scary situation. Thankfully still here and everything's all right,” he added
Stokes is expected to feature in a couple of County Championship fixtures before leading England into their first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s from June 4, as the side looks to rebound from a difficult Ashes campaign in Australia.
The England skipper also addressed speculation around his working relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum, dismissing suggestions of any rift following the 4-1 series defeat.
"When you're in a position of leadership with someone else, if anyone thinks you're always going to agree on everything, then it's just impossible. To me, that isn't a healthy environment for sport, where everyone just agrees with everyone or says yes to the person up there. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to reach,” Stokes said.
He emphasised that occasional differences of opinion are natural and, in fact, beneficial to team progress.
"When you're in a position of leadership with someone else, if anyone thinks you're always going to agree on everything, then it's just impossible. To me, that isn't a healthy environment for sport, where everyone just agrees with everyone or says yes to the person up there. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to reach,” Stokes said.
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With his recovery progressing well, Stokes now appears on course to lead England into a crucial home summer, bringing both experience and renewed perspective after a challenging period on and off the field.