Ben Stokes, the captain of the England Test team, says he will have surgery to treat his persistent knee problem following the World Cup. Due to a chronic knee injury, the 32-year-old all-rounder was limited to playing as a batter during the World Cup in India and was unable to bowl. England’s campaign comes to an end on November 11 against Pakistan, one week after they play Australia on Saturday. On January 25, they will begin a five-match Test series in India, but Stokes says he hopes to be fit.
According to Stokes, “We usually bring a doctor and physio when we go to those meetings. They start talking, and I just show up, go to sleep, wake up, and hope it gets better.” Stokes’s knee problem has hindered him over the past few years, despite his refusal to elaborate on the specifics of the condition when questioned. Since July 1st, the fourth day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, he has not bowled. After making an unexpected U-turn to play in England’s World Cup defense during his one-day international retirement, he declared he had a “very good plan in place” to resolve the problem.
It is believed that before the India series, England will take a plane to the United Arab Emirates for a training camp. This would give him around eight weeks to recuperate in order to travel with the team. With three games remaining in the World Cup, England’s chances of making it to the semi-finals are all but gone after five losses in six games. Their ambitions would theoretically be dashed in Ahmedabad if they lost to longtime foes Australia.
