'Pretty nasty': Ben Stokes reveals details of near-fatal incident

By Gaurav Tripathi

Apr 16, 2026 09:51 am

What's the story

England Test captain Ben Stokes has opened up about a near-fatal incident when he was hit by a cricket ball in the face. The accident occurred while coaching academy players for his county team Durham in February. Stokes suffered multiple facial injuries and had to undergo surgery for a broken cheekbone. In a pre-recorded interview with the ECB's in-house media team, Stokes said that the accident could have been worse.

Incident impact

'Copped one straight in the face'

Reflecting on the incident, Stokes said, "I copped one straight in the face. Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest." He added that if he hadn't turned his head at that moment, things could have been much worse. Despite major facial surgery to fix the damage caused by this freak accident, Stokes considers himself lucky to have escaped with relatively minor injuries.

Recovery journey

Stokes set to return in May

Stokes's recovery from the injury has delayed his return to competitive cricket by about a month. He is now gearing up to play a couple of games for Durham before the start of the Test summer season. The England captain said, "It was a pretty scary situation. Thankfully still here and everything's all right." He is expected to lead England in their first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on June 4.

Advertisement

Team response

On England's performance in the Ashes

Stokes has also spoken about the criticism directed at the England team for their preparation, 1-4 defeat, and behavior during the Ashes series in Australia. He admitted that while some of it was justified, other parts were a bit harsh and unnecessary. "You learn from these things," he said, acknowledging that they have to take responsibility as players and as a team for their disappointing performance.

Click here to read article