England's all-rounder and red-ball skipper Ben Stokes successfully underwent knee surgery, as confirmed in his Instagram announcement. He revealed plans for rehabilitation, aiming to regain full fitness before the upcoming 5-match Test series against India, scheduled to commence in late January 2024.
Sharing a photo of himself on crutches, Stokes made the surgery announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter. The 32-year-old, recently released by the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, is determined to return to his all-rounder role next year.
“In and out Under the 🔪 done Rehab starts now 🙌🙌,” he wrote along with the picture.
Stokes opted for surgery due to the significant impact of his knee issues on his performance during the 2023 season. His knee troubles affected his playing time and particularly hampered his bowling, spanning from the Indian Premier League to the 2023 World Cup. Dealing with persistent knee problems for over 18 months, the England Test captain struggled with chronic tendonitis in his left knee. This not only limited his bowling but also necessitated a shift in his role within the team.
The severity of Stokes's knee problems became apparent during England's tour of New Zealand in February, impacting his performance. Despite attempts such as a cortisone injection in March and minimal play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, his knee didn't fully recover. This led to a reduced bowling workload during the Ashes series, with only 29 overs bowled and abstaining from bowling in the third and fourth Tests.
This compelled England to adjust their team balance, incorporating five bowlers alongside Stokes, who primarily played as a specialist batsman. Due to his left knee injury, Stokes couldn't showcase his bowling prowess and instead only batted for England during the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. Despite missing three games, he played a vital batting role, helping the team secure a seventh-place finish in the round-robin stage and securing qualification for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Despite the injury challenges and missing matches, Stokes emerged as England's second-highest run-scorer in the World Cup 2023, tallying 304 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 50.66, behind Dawid Malan.