Ben Stokes undergoes finger surgery, unlikely to play Ashes: report
England’s star allrounder had been out of action since Test series against India
London: Ben Stokes has successfully undergone a second operation on his broken index finger but is unlikely to be named in England’s squad for the Ashes, the Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old allrounder, who has been on an indefinite break since withdrawing from the home Test series against India this year to focus on his mental health, sustained the injury playing in the Indian Premier League in April.
The report said Leeds-based consultant Doug Campbell removed the screws from Stokes’s finger on Monday and treated the scar tissue that had been causing him severe pain.
The Mirror, for whom Stokes writes a column, added that although the player would be ruled out for a lengthy period, the surgery had been successful.
Stokes made an early comeback in July after the first operation, leading England to a 3-0 one-day international series win over Pakistan but needed injections to get through the games. He then decided to take a break from cricket to work on his mental health and allow time for his finger to heal.
Stokes was last month omitted from England’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and now looks likely to miss his second Ashes series, having also been ruled out of the 2017-18 tour following an incident at a Bristol nightclub.
The first Test against Australia is due to start on December 8.