Ashes 2021 | Ben Stokes undergoes second finger surgery whilst Ashes participation in doubt
Ben Stokes has undergone finger surgery for the second time as he sustained a severe break of his left index finger while attempting a catch for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL in April. Stokes has been on an indefinite period to focus on his mental wellbeing and to allow his finger to heal fully.
According to the UKs Daily Mirror, Doug Campbell, the surgeon who operated on the injury, reassessed Stokesā injury on Monday as he removed the metal screws and addressed the scar tissue that has been causing searing pain around Stokes' tendons and ligaments. The all-rounder returned to cricket for Durham in the T20 Blast before being asked to lead the England team for the ODI series against the visiting Pakistan team as the first string players went into isolation due to the COVID 19 outbreak in the team.Ā
Stokes guided the team to a 3-0 win against Pakistan amid being required to inject the painkillers to get through the matches. He was also troubled with the injured left index finger during his stint with Northern Superchargers before announcing his indefinite break from the game on July 26. The 30-year-old was not included in the England squad for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. With the Ashes negotiations expected to reach its conclusion at the end of this week, he is most certainly expected to miss the trip to Australia - having missed the 2017-18 Ashes tour in the aftermath of the Bristol nightclub incident.
However, according to The Mirror, the early indications are that Stokes' latest finger surgery has been a "huge success", and if that proves to be the case, then he may be better placed to focus on the rest of his comeback.
On Wednesday, Stokes posted a photo on Instagram for the first time since July, posing with his wife Clare with his finger heavily bandaged. For the time being, however, England will have to continue to plan without their pivotal allrounder.