DURHAM — England Test captain Ben Stokes is recovering from surgery after suffering a broken cheekbone when he was hit by a cricket ball during a net session at Durham in February. The 34-year-old is set to play in two first-class County Championship games next month before leading England in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's starting on June 4.

Stokes said the incident could have been far worse. "Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest. Just a couple of inches one way or the other, I might not be here doing this interview, if I didn't turn my head round," he said.

He described undergoing significant facial surgery as a result of the injury. "All things considered, although I had pretty major facial surgery to sort it out – it was a bit of a mess under here (cheekbone), I've got out quite lucky. So pretty thankful for that," Stokes said.

The injury set back his preparations for the season. "Obviously it set everything back about a month, five weeks, with getting back to where I wanted to be to play at the start of the season for Durham, but just had to sort of quickly go back to the drawing board and put a plan together to get me ready to play a couple of games for Durham before the Test summer starts," he said. "At the back end of all that now, but it was a pretty scary situation. Thankfully still here and everything's all right."

England will host New Zealand for a three-Test series in June and will also host eight limited-overs matches at home to India. The England and Wales Cricket Board launched a review into the team's preparations after England lost the Ashes series in Australia 4-1. Coach Brendon McCullum was retained following the review. Since 2022, Stokes and McCullum have implemented an ultra-aggressive style of play known as "Bazball."

Stokes spoke about his partnership with McCullum, noting they have been working together for four years. "But we work together in a slightly different way. The main point of me and Brendon is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be," he said. "We put a lot of our heart and soul into this job. Brendon certainly has for the four years he's done it so far, and hopefully we'll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win."