England Test captain Ben Stokes has dubbed himself the “Bionic Man” after undergoing latest hamstring surgery.
Stokes tore his left hamstring during England's final Test in New Zealand in December and will miss at least three months of cricket, ruling him out of the February ICC Champions Trophy.
The 33-year-old has played four consecutive Test matches, three at home in Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan, after tearing the same hamstring playing in The Hundred last August.
Stokes confirmed on Instagram on Tuesday that he had gone under the knife, posting a picture of him sprawled out in the back seat of a car supported by a large leg brace and pillows.
In the caption, he wrote “Bionic man for a while” accompanied by a laughing emoticon and signed “in a little while…”.
England do not return to Test action until May 22 when they begin a four-day match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
They will then play India in five Tests later in the summer, starting at Headingley on 20 June and concluding at the Kia Oval on 31 July.
What role Stokes plays with the ball going forward will be interesting given his latest hamstring problem midway through his 37th over against New Zealand, although he said afterwards that he has no plans to slow down.
“I'm not holding back,” he insisted at the time. “With every failure, I come back stronger. There's no doubt I'm going to walk out of here… and get back to where I was. That's my job.”
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Sky Sports Cricket's Nasser Hussain says England are reduced when captain Ben Stokes can't bowl and his workload needs to be discussed
Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain said in December: “There has to be a long-term view and a realization that England are the side they are in because of their captain and they are greatly diminished, both with the all-rounder and the leader, if he is not there.
“If he's not in Australia (for the 2025/26 Ashes), England's chances go off the cliff. Part of leadership is to speak to someone and say, 'we need you'.”
“Inflate his tires and make him realize that England are a better team when they can do all aspects. I thought 37 overs after coming back from such an injury was a huge job.”
Watch ICC Champions Trophy live Sky Sports from February 19. England's first match is against Australia on February 22.