Stokes was practising at Durham’s indoor facility when the incident happened, with it said that the cricketer wasn’t even batting or bowling at the time. Instead, he was simply standing to the side when the rogue ball smacked him in the face, causing significant damage.

Sharing an initial post on social media, Stokes was seen with a bloody nose, as well as a significantly swollen eye. What looked like a gruesome injury has since required surgery, with Stokes once again taking to Instagram to offer an update.

Posting on his story, the 34-year-old shared a picture of himself in a hospital bed, with the caption: “May not look like it but the surgery was a success [laughing emoji].” His face was still bruised, but the swelling had definitely gone.

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It came after a shocking Ashes Tour for Stokes and England, who succumbed to a disappointing 4-1 defeat away to Australia. It raised questions about Stokes’ captaincy, but he was quick to bat away any claims that he would give it up before the return series next summer.

He explained: “It’s a pretty emotional time for me in the dressing room and for the guys, players, management, backroom stuff. I hate living in hindsight because you can never change what you have done… It’s what you do out there that counts and we’ve not been able to stand up to what Australia have thrown at us. We’ve not been able to stand up to the barrage of execution from Australia. But we still have two games left in the series and a hell of a lot to play for, as individuals and as a team.”

When quizzed on whether he plans to continue as captain, Stokes replied: “Absolutely”. It means Stokes will captain this summer’s Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand, as well as the winter matches, before Australia visit in the 2027 summer.