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, ruling him out of the spotlight 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 himself lying 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 emoji and signed “in a bit…”.
England will not return to 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 20 June and finishing at The Kia Oval from 31 July.
What role Stokes plays with the ball up front will be interesting with his latest hamstring problem coming in his 37th match 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. “Every setback, I come back stronger. There’s no doubt I’m going to get out of here… and get 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 an understanding that England are the side that are because of their captain and that they are hugely shortchanged, both with an all-rounder and a leader, if he is not . there.
“If he’s not in Australia (for the 2025/26 Ashes), England’s chances fall off a cliff. Part of leadership is talking to someone and saying, ‘we need you’.
“On his tires and make him realize that England are a better team when he can do all aspects. I thought 37 overs coming back from such an injury was a big workload.”
Watch live on ICC Champions Trophy Sky Sports from February 19. England’s first game is against Australia on February 22.
