- Ben Stokes has been struggling with a knee problem for a long time
- There has been a lot of speculation that he would undergo surgery after the Ashes
- The England Test skipper revealed that he will go under the knife after the World Cup
Ben Stokes will undergo surgery on his troublesome left knee after the World Cup in a bid to return to India for a five-match Test series as a fully functioning all-rounder in January.
Stokes, who turns 33 next year, has not bowled for England since the second Ashes Test at Lord’s in late June and arrived here for their title defense knowing he would be playing as a specialist batsman.
But he admitted his inability to bowl has been ‘a major hindrance’, and plans to have the operation carried out shortly after England play their final match at the World Cup – which, barring a mathematical miracle, will be their last group match will be against Pakistan. Calcutta on November 11.
He expects to be out for five to seven weeks, giving him ample time to prepare for the first Test against India in Hyderabad on January 25. The squad leaves Britain on January 11 or 12 for a pre-tour camp in the UAE.
“A lot of time went into deciding when to do it,” he said. “I would be fine with the India Test series.”
Ben Stokes revealed he will undergo knee surgery to resolve the ongoing problem after the World Cup
Stokes has been struggling with the problem with his left knee for much of the past eighteen months
Asked if he planned to return as a bowling all-rounder, he said: “There will be more decisions and more discussions between me and the medical team. It’s taken a long time and obviously I want to get back to what I was doing prior to the 18 months I had this injury.
‘We’ll just see how everything goes, see how I respond to the surgery and also the rehabilitation.
“It has been a big hindrance for me and has affected what I can do for the team. That’s clearly what I want to do. You would hope it means I can get back to doing what I’m known for, which is playing a role as a batsman, and also playing a role as a bowler.”
In recent months there has been uncertainty as to whether Stokes would go under the knife at all, especially as it was unclear whether his problem – believed to be chronic tendonitis – could be solved by surgery.
Stokes insisted that if all goes to plan, he would return as an all-rounder after the operation
He also described England’s World Cup performance as ‘c**p’ ahead of the clash with Australia
And he remained uncertain about the precise nature of the operation. “I always go to the doctors and the physios and they use language I’ve never heard before,” he said.
‘Clearly something needs to be operated on. I’ll turn it off and let Andy Williams, the surgeon, do what he does best: fix knees.”
Meanwhile, ahead of their match against Australia tomorrow, Stokes described England’s World Cup performance as ‘c**p’.
He added: “We’ve had a disastrous World Cup and there’s no point in sugar-coating that because it’s the truth. But we know we have a lot to play for in the last three games.”