A tense and unexpected incident took place at Durham’s indoor training facility when England Test captain Ben Stokes suffered serious facial injuries after being struck by a powerful shot from an 18-year-old academy cricketer. What began as a routine training session quickly turned into a scary moment that left everyone on the ground shaken.
Ben Stokes was badly injured in a shocking net session incident
The incident happened while Ben Stokes was spending time helping Durham’s young players during practice. Teenage batter and wicketkeeper Robbie Bowman hit a strong shot that rocketed straight toward Stokes. The England all-rounder was struck on the right side of his face, leaving players and staff stunned.
Ben Stokes was rushed to the hospital soon after the accident. Later, he shared a selfie on Instagram showing the extent of the injury. His right eye appeared swollen shut and heavily bruised, with clear cuts on his cheek and mouth. A dressing could also be seen coming out of his nose, highlighting how serious the impact had been.
Ben Stokes’ humour shines through the pain
Even after such a frightening moment, Ben Stokes showed the toughness and humor fans know him for. In his social media post, he joked about the condition of the cricket ball, writing, “You should see the state of the cricket ball,” while adding a crying with laughter emoji.
The situation could have been far worse, but Durham were lucky that their medical team was already present at the ground for a training exercise and were able to respond immediately. Durham coach Ryan Campbell later explained that Bowman had connected perfectly with the ball, sending it toward Stokes with real force.
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Campbell also shared that nearby players shouted a warning, but Stokes turned toward the ball at the wrong moment and was hit in the face. His close friend and former teammate Scott Borthwick quickly drove him to the hospital, with the team physio accompanying them.
Ryan Campbell was quoted as saying by The Sun: “Stokesy said he broke the No. 1 rule of being a coach in the nets-never turn your back on the batter! By chance, our medical team was on the ground doing simulations. Suddenly, they had a real emergency to deal with.”
How Ben Stokes protects young players from guilt
Despite being in pain and dealing with injuries, the England captain made sure the young cricketer did not carry any guilt over what had happened. Instead of letting Bowman feel responsible, Ben Stokes took it upon himself to comfort him.
According to the Durham coach, Ben Stokes personally called Bowman from the hospital and told him not to worry about the accident. He even took the blame himself, understanding how shaken the young player must have felt after the incident.
Campbell added, “I’ll tell you this because Stokesy never would. He phoned Robbie Bowman from his hospital and told him not to worry. He’d have known that Robbie would have been beside himself, but Ben said it was his fault. That sums up the sort of bloke Stokesy is.”
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