Ben Stokes recently suffered a severe black eye, breaking a key coaching rule while assisting young players in Durham. Stokes, an England cricket star, shared a photo of his bruised eye and facial scratches on Instagram. Despite the injuries, Stokes maintained humor, joking about the state of the cricket ball that caused the mishap.
The incident occurred as Stokes was coaching academy players when a ball struck him, leading to his hospitalization. He later contacted the player responsible, Robbie Bowman, to reassure him. Stokes admitted to breaking the primary coaching rule of not turning back on the batter during training.
Stokes, who is recovering from a groin injury, is expected to return to action for Durham before England’s upcoming Test against Australia in June. The all-rounder, contracted with England until 2027, is also considering a future in coaching post-retirement. With 120 Test appearances for England, Stokes remains a key figure in the cricket world.