Ben Stokes found himself on the receiving end of a painful black eye, violating a key coaching rule. The England cricket player shared a photo on Instagram displaying his heavily bruised eye, scratches on his face, and a nose bandage, humorously quipping about the cricket ball’s condition.
The cause of Stokes’ injuries was uncovered when he was coaching young players in Durham. During a session, batsman Robbie Bowman inadvertently struck a ball towards Stokes, resulting in the unfortunate incident.
Following the mishap, Stokes was promptly taken to the hospital where he contacted Bowman to offer reassurance. Durham coach Ryan Campbell revealed that Stokes acknowledged his coaching error of turning his back on the batter, emphasizing the importance of this rule.
Despite his facial injuries, Stokes is recuperating from a groin injury sustained during the Ashes Test and aims to return to play for Durham before the upcoming Test against Australia. With a contract until the 2027 Ashes series, Stokes is anticipated to transition into coaching post-retirement. His impressive cricket career includes 120 Test appearances for England.