Ben Stokes calls himself the ‘bionic man’ after knee surgery, embarks on the road to recovery
England Test captain Ben Stokes has successfully undergone surgery to repair a torn left hamstring and shared a picture of his prosthetic leg on his official Instagram account on January 7. Ben Stokes humorously dubbed himself “The Bionic Man” after undergoing scheduled surgery on his torn left hamstring.
Stokes tore his hamstring during England’s third Test against New Zealand in December. Stokes returned for the Test series against New Zealand, where he played as an all-rounder. However, he experienced discomfort in the middle of the over, due to which he had to leave the field and sit out the rest of the match.
Bionic Man for a while Operation Brief – Ben Stokes
After the operation, Ben Stokes shared a picture on his Instagram. He wrote: “Bionic Man for a time Surgery In a little.” The post quickly went viral, receiving more than 30,000 likes and 200 comments, with many cricket fans wishing him a speedy recovery ahead of England’s crucial Test series against India in June.
The 33-year-old first tore the hamstring while batting for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred against Manchester Originals in August last year.
This injury sidelined him for two months, forcing him to miss England’s home Test series against Sri Lanka. Stokes later revealed that his intense efforts to get fit in time for England’s winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand had left him “physically drained and destroyed”.
Ben Stokes omitted from England for 2025 Champions Trophy
Stokes has been left out of England’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy and will not play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025. As Test cricket does not resume until May, he has plenty of time to fully recover before a busy domestic season, which includes a Test series against India in June.
He has three months to focus on rehabilitation. This break allows Stokes to regain full fitness and prepare for the upcoming summer of cricket.
Ben Stokes bowled 36.2 overs in the Hamilton Test before the hamstring injury
Stokes bowled 36.2 overs in the Hamilton Test before the knee injury, the most he bowled since 2022. He bowled 23 overs on Day 1, the most he bowled in a day. Stokes returned to bowling after successful knee surgery in October 2023.
Ahead of the Hamilton Test, Stokes said he had been working hard to build his ability to bowl long spells. He admitted that as he gets older, he needs to work harder on his fitness to continue performing at the highest level.
“I have to work a lot more on the physical side of the job to be able to go out and do my job,” he said ahead of the Hamilton Test, “but I’ve bowled a good amount of overs over the last two games and I’m more confident going through a lot of spells on the day.”
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