Ben Stokes found himself on the receiving end of a brutal black eye after what seemed to be a coaching mishap. The England cricket player shared a photo on Instagram displaying his heavily bruised eye, scratches on his face, and a bandaged nose, humorously commenting, “You should see the state of the cricket ball.”
The incident occurred while Stokes was coaching young players at Durham’s indoor facility, where Robbie Bowman accidentally struck a ball towards him, causing the injuries. Stokes was promptly taken to the hospital, where he reached out to Bowman to reassure him. Durham coach Ryan Campbell revealed that Stokes acknowledged breaking a cardinal coaching rule by turning his back on the batter.
Despite the mishap, Stokes remains optimistic and is recovering from both his facial injuries and a groin injury sustained during the final Ashes Test. He is aiming to return to action for Durham ahead of England’s upcoming Test against Australia in June. Stokes, who has represented England in 120 Test matches, is contracted until the 2027 Ashes series and is considering a future in coaching post-retirement.
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