Stokes Reveals How Close He Came to Serious Harm in On-Field Incident

Ben Stokes has described the moment a cricket ball shattered his cheekbone as a wake-up call that put his entire life into perspective. The England Test captain was struck while coaching academy players at Durham when the ball deflected unexpectedly, leaving him needing what he called "pretty major facial surgery" and ruling him out of cricket until May.

Speaking openly about the incident for the first time, Stokes admitted the situation could have been far worse. "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 round," he said. "It was a bit of a mess under here. I have got out quite lucky. Thankfully still here and everything is all right."

The injury occurred in February and kept the 34-year-old off the field through England's difficult 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. It was a winter of upheaval for English cricket, with the team's aggressive batting approach drawing fierce criticism and their mid-series trip to Noosa becoming a subject of scrutiny.

Yet Stokes insisted the fallout from that tour, while painful, was largely justified. "A lot of it was warranted," he said. "We have got ourselves to blame for a lot of it. If you cannot take that and are not willing to understand that and listen to a little bit of it, then we would not see any progression."

Stokes is set to return to competitive action for Durham against Worcestershire on 8 May in the County Championship. He will then lead England into the summer against New Zealand, with the first Test beginning on 4 June — his 35th birthday.

Despite the turmoil of the Ashes and months on the sidelines recovering from surgery, Stokes never considered stepping away. "I actually went the other way," he explained. "It completely and utterly consumed me. I feel like I would be able to switch off for half an hour and then would get my iPad out and start making notes." That drive, he said, is how he knows he is still truly committed to the role.

On the question of England's playing style and his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes was clear: the era of simply trying to entertain is over. "Now it is about everything we do is to win, being relentless in what we do in our training and behaviour," he said. "Whoever it may be, go out and play how you play. The version of yourself that got you into the position to represent England in the first place should be the version you carry on doing."

The message is firm: Stokes has survived his scariest moment in cricket, and he returns with no intention of doing anything by halves.