Ben Stokes suffers facial injury after being hit during training, shares pic on social media

England Test captain Ben Stokes is facing facial injury after being hit by a ball during a training session. The all-rounder shared an image on Instagram showing the aftermath, joking that the cricket ball was in even worse shape. The photo revealed severe swelling around his right eye, along with cuts to his cheek and lip, and a bandage placed inside his nose.

The 34-year-old recently captained England in the Ashes series, which ended in a 4-1 defeat to Australia. Despite the setback, Stokes is expected to be involved in England’s development setup later this year.

Stokes, along with former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, is set to join Andrew Flintoff on the England Lions coaching staff for an upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for February and March.

He is also continuing his recovery from a groin injury sustained while bowling in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney earlier this month. Moeen Ali, who recently came out of retirement from English domestic cricket to play for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast, will also be part of the coaching group.

According to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the England Lions coaching team for the tour will additionally include Troy Cooley, Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, and Amar Rashid.