England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes confirmed on Friday (November 3) that he would undergo knee surgery after the conclusion of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
Notably, Stokes has been carrying the left knee injury for more than a year, and because of the issue, the all-rounder is playing only as a specialist batter in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023.
England’s Test captain revealed his plan to have knee surgery ahead of the team’s next CWC 2023 match against Australia on November 4 in Ahmedabad. However, Stokes is targeting a comeback as an all-rounder with England’s Test tour of India in January 2024.
Ben Stokes told reporters, “I'll be fine for the Test Series in India. I am having surgery after the World Cup. Over the last 18 months, it's been 'will I, won't I', whereas actually this World Cup I've not had to worry about that.”
The all-rounder continued, “It's probably the first time since I've had this knee issue where it's been quite clear that I'm not going to be bowling.”
On being asked about using an inhaler in Bengaluru last week, Stokes said: “I've actually got exercise-induced asthma. But sometimes it happens when you go to a new city in India where the air is slightly different. That could be a reason for it.”
He signed off by saying, “Bangalore when we actually turned up just felt a lot fresher, but doing the running that I was doing does bring it on a lot easier than normal. So, that could be a reason for it.”
(With AFP Inputs)
