ICC World Cup: Ben Stokes To Undergo Knee Surgery After England’s Campaign

ICC World Cup 2023: England’s test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes said that he will undergo knee surgery at the end of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 and hopes to be fit for England’s test series in India early next year. Stokes has been battling a troublesome knee for a while, the same issue saw him miss plenty of IPL 2023 games for CSK.

The 32-year-old Stokes has been suffering from a chronic knee issue for the past 18 months and has been playing only as a specialist batter at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

“I am having surgery after the World Cup. I don’t think the surgery is going to have any hindrance on me taking part in the series in India,” Ben Stokes told reporters in Ahmedabad on Friday, a day before the defending champions match with Australia.

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Stokes indicated that he was considering surgery following this summer’s Ashes series, which he diagnosed through pain, but instead elected to come out of ODI retirement and play in England’s World Cup 2023 title defence in India.

Stokes speaking on the eve of his side’s clash with Ashes rivals Australia in Ahmedabad, said, “I am having surgery after the World Cup. I will hopefully be fine for the Test series (against India). When we go to those meetings we generally take a physio and doctor and they start talking. I just turn up, go to sleep, wake up and hope it is better.”

England’s first test match against India will start on January 25, 2024, with the team expected to fly out to the UAE for a warm-up camp two weeks earlier.