In February 2026, while coaching Durham Academy Players, England all-rounder Ben Stokes was hit on the face by a cricket ball that broke his cheekbone and caused severe injury. He then underwent surgery to fix his right cheekbone. It was indeed a lucky escape, as Stokes said earlier that if it had hit him a few inches to the side, it could have been fatal. He was seen sharing updates on his successful surgery a few weeks earlier, with his face all bruised and swollen, with the caption: “You should have seen the state of the cricket ball”
In a video posted on Toyota UK’s official Instagram account in collaboration with England Cricket, Ben Stokes was seen with a much slimmer face appearance and Stokes was unrecognisable. It didn’t take time for the video to go viral and fans to take screenshots of Stoke’s appearance and voice their concerns about his health and showcasing before and after surgery images. Stokes' altered appearance became the talk of the day.
Upcoming Summer for Ben Stokes
Due to the injury situation, Stokes has missed the county season, but with the summer long ahead, Stokes is expected to be back with his willow on the 22 yards.
Stokes did state that the injury was quite scary in his interview with the England Cricket Team.
"It was a pretty scary situation. 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 around. It was a bit of a mess under here [the cheekbone]. I've got out quite lucky. Thankfully, still here and everything's all right,” he said.
The upcoming summer is gonna be crucial for England and Ben Stokes as Test Captain. Stokes is set to resume with the three-match test series against New Zealand in June. After back-to-back failures, the management is under scrutiny and questions, but Stokes has backed his coach Brendon McCullum and management, stating that things are going well and they have plans for the future. Stokes and McCullum started their tenure in 2022, and although things went uphill in the initial days, the Ashes loss of 4-1 against Australia has kept both England and fans on edge.
Stokes, although he didn’t have a good time in the Ashes either, with only 184 runs, but after getting retained as the Test Captain he is sure England is going to keep improving and turn things around.
