Ben Stokes had been experiencing chronic pain in his left knee. Since the second Ashes Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground earlier this year, it has also prevented him from bowling.
The seasoned all-round player had already declared that he would have surgery following the 2023 ODI World Cup. Stokes revealed that he had surgery in the caption of an Instagram photo he shared of himself on Wednesday, November 29. Stokes was seen standing with the aid of crutches.
“Done, in and out, beneath the [knife emoji].
Ben Stokes stated in the caption, “Rehab begins immediately.
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The 32-year-old took part in the ODI World Cup after coming out of retirement. Out of the ten teams who competed in the major event, the defending champions had a forgettable campaign, placing eighth on the points table. As a specialist batter, Stokes amassed 304 runs at an average of 50.66 throughout six games.
Ben Stokes decides to forego the 2024 IPL
The seasoned player has announced that he will not be participating in the Indian Premier League in 2024 due to scheduling conflicts with his fitness. On the day of the player retention deadline, he was later released by his side, the Chennai Super Kings.
In the 2023 auction, Stokes was hired by Chennai for an incredible INR 16.25 crore. He could only play in a few games, though, scoring fifteen runs in one over of bowling. The five-time champions have a huge increase in their purse for releasing England’s red-ball captain, and they can use that in the upcoming season’s auction on December 19.
Ben Stokes will now attempt to recover in time for England’s five-Test series against India, which is scheduled to begin on January 25, 2024, and end on March 11, 2024.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work in away from cricket to give myself the best chance of a quicker recovery and, with Christmas and everything coming up, the main thing for me is getting this knee right and being ready and raring to go for that Test series in India,” Stokes had said following England’s final match at the World Cup in Russia.