'Thankfully, I am still here' - Ben Stokes gives first interview after face injury, plans to be back on field soon

Published - 15 Apr 2026, 17:30 IST | Updated - 15 Apr 2026, 18:28 IST

Ben Stokes feels he was lucky to come out alive from a deadly face injury that required a complex surgery. The Durham cricketer was hit by an academy player during a nets session, which, fortunately, did not hit him hard enough, and he feels lucky that he is still alive.

Stokes has defined the blow on his face as the best thing that can happen in a bad situation. With that said and done, the seasoned campaigner is also eager to make a comeback to Test cricket ahead of the English summer.

"I copped one straight in the face. It was pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest. A couple of inches one way or the other and 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… I've got quite lucky, so I'm pretty thankful for that," Stokes said.

"It was a pretty scary situation to be in, but thankfully I'm still here and everything's alright," Stokes added.

Ben Stokes was this close 🤏 to things being life-changingly different.

The English red-ball skipper is excited to be back on the field in international cricket very soon. However, he is in no hurry to rush himself onto the field. The star all-rounder intends to use the pre-summer period as a perfect time to get himself fully prepared through county cricket and make a conscious call based on how he feels while playing domestic cricket.

"If I can get through the loads that I want to get through and feel pretty good out in the middle, then hopefully I'll be good to go for the summer," he explained.

England will be beginning their summer of 2026 against New Zealand with a three-Test series, beginning in the first week of June. The Three Lions are also scheduled to host Pakistan for a three-match assignment in August. Their third and last Test assignment of the year will be in an away series against South Africa, which will also include a Boxing Day Test at Centurion.