Ben Stokes’ issues with his knee have prevented him from playing as an all-rounder.© X (Twitter)
England all-rounder Ben Stokes announced that his knee surgery was successful and now it is time for him to undergo rehabilitation. Stokes had recently come out of ODI retirement to participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where he played as a specialist batter. His issues with his knee have prevented him from playing his role as an all-rounder effectively as he has rarely bowled as of late. “In and out Under the knife done Rehab starts now,” said Stokes in his tweet.
In and out
Under the done
Rehab starts now pic.twitter.com/Lz7Mh3Toh1
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) November 29, 2023
Stokes did come back to England’s ODI team, but his return did not help the Three Lions defend their World Cup crown. They delivered an underwhelming title campaign, winning just three out of their nine matches. Though they got a spot for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, the highly-feared batting line-up of England failed to live up to its hype.
He played six matches in the tournament, scoring 304 runs at an average of 50.66 and a strike rate of above 89, with one century and two half-centuries. His best score was 108.
The all-rounder’s knee surgery is highly important for him if he wants to lead his side from the front during the tour to India in January next year and help his country defend the ICC T20 World Cup title in June 2024 at West Indies/USA. Stokes’ abilities as a bowler will be as important as his batting on these two high-profile events.
He will also miss the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so as to manage his workload and fitness to play the five-Test series against India ahead of the tournament and then the ICC T20 World Cup in June.
Stokes, 32, became a part of the Super Kings ahead of the successful IPL 2023. He was bought by CSK in the auction last year for Rs 16.25 crores. But he played only two matches, scoring 15 runs with the best score of eight runs. He could not get any wickets. The all-rounder missed the majority of the season due to fitness issues.
In 45 IPL matches, Stokes has scored 935 runs at an average of 24.61, with two centuries and two fifties. His best score is 107*. He has also taken 28 wickets, with the best figures of 3/15.
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