Overview
- Stokes posted an Instagram photo showing a heavily bruised right eye, cuts to his cheek and lip, and a bloodied nose, joking, “You should see the state of the cricket ball.”
- The incident occurred at Durham’s indoor facility while he was to the side of a nets session helping youth players, with reports naming 18-year-old Robbie Bowman as the batter who struck the shot.
- Durham coach Ryan Campbell said medical staff were on site and Stokes went to hospital, later calling the teenager to reassure him and taking responsibility for turning toward the ball.
- It has not been confirmed whether his nose is fractured, but he has resumed batting work as part of recovery from a right adductor injury sustained in the final Ashes Test.
- Stokes is not part of England’s white-ball plans for the T20 World Cup and is expected to target early County Championship matches before England’s Test summer begins in June.