England Test captain Ben Stokes has dubbed himself the “Bionic Man” after undergoing his latest hamstring operation.
Stokes tore his left hamstring during England’s final Test in New Zealand in December and will miss at least three months of cricket, taking him out of consideration for February’s ICC Champions Trophy.
The 33-year-old sat out four consecutive Test matches, three at home to Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan, after tearing the same hamstring playing in The Hundred last August.
Stokes took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm he had gone under the knife, posting a picture of him sprawled on 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 emoji and signed off “in a bit…”.
England are not due back in Test action until May 22 when they begin a four-day game against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
They will then play India in five Tests later in the summer, starting at Headingley on June 20 and concluding at The Kia Oval from July 31.
What role Stokes plays with the ball going forward will be interesting with his latest hamstring issue coming amid his 37th over of the match against New Zealand, although he said afterwards that he has no plans to slow down.
“I ain’t holding back,” he insisted at the time. “Every setback, I come back stronger. There’s no doubt I’ll be going away from here… and getting myself back to where I was. That’s my job.”
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said in December: “There has to be a long-term view and realisation that England are the side they are because of their captain and that they are hugely diminished, both with an all-rounder and a leader, if he is not there.
“If he is not in Australia [for the 2025/26 Ashes], England’s chances fall off a cliff. Part of leadership is having a word with someone and saying, ‘we need you’.
“Pump up his tyres and make him realise England are a better team when he can do all facets. I thought 37 overs after coming back from such an injury was a huge workload.”
Watch the ICC Champions Trophy live on Sky Sports from February 19. England’s first match is against Australia on February 22.