Ben Stokes reveals split-second decision which may have saved him from death: 'I might not be here...'
Ben Stokes has spoken out about how he avoided a potentially life-threatening injury during a net session earlier this year.
Stokes was hit in the face with a ball while coaching academy players at Durham’s academy back in February.
The England Test captain posted a gruesome photograph showing him with a bloodied nose and heavy bruising around his right cheek and eye.
At the time, it was reported that Stokes was standing at the side of the net when the incident occurred.
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It has since been confirmed he suffered a broken cheekbone, for which he has undergone surgery, while also recovering from an abductor injury he sustained in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in January.
However, the Durham man has revealed he is on track to feature for his county in the County Championship in May, before Test cricket returns in June, with England set to host New Zealand in a three-match Test series, followed by another red-ball series against Pakistan later in the summer. India and Sri Lanka will also embark on white-ball tours.
On Wednesday (April 15), the ECB released an interview with Stokes, during which the 34-year-old opened up about the “scary” injury he sustained during the net session in February.
“Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest,” he said.
“I copped one straight in the face. Just a couple of inches one way or the other, I might not be here doing this interview if I didn’t turn my head around.
“All things considered, although I had pretty major facial surgery to sort it out – it was a bit of a mess under here (cheekbone) – I’ve got out quite lucky. So pretty thankful for that.
“It obviously set everything back about a month, getting back to where I wanted to be to play at the start of the season for Durham.
“I just had to quickly go back to the drawing board and put a plan together to get me ready to play a couple of games for Durham before the Test summer starts.
“I’m at the back end of all that now, but it was a pretty scary situation. Thankfully, I’m still here and everything’s all right.”
Stokes also made clear that he and head coach Brendon McCullum will work together in a “different” way this summer after the dismal 4–1 Ashes defeat Down Under.
Topics: Ben Stokes, Cricket
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