Ben Stokes To Deal With Long-Term Knee Issue After England's World Cup Campaign

Ben Stokes looks set to finally overcome a long-term issue regarding his left knee as he will undergo surgery for the matter after England's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup journey in India is over.

England have had a disastrous World Cup campaign so far, losing five out of their first six group games, and their chances of reaching the semi-finals are all but over. The three remaining group stage opponents on England's schedule are Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan, with the last match taking place on Saturday, November 11th.

For Stokes, this World Cup saw him return to 50-over cricket after previously retiring from the format last year due to the difficulty with managing his load across all the formats.

His reversal on retirement gave England a massive boost going into the World Cup as it would seemingly allow the side to have a strong defence of their 2019 World Cup glory.

However, Stokes' tournament did not start as he would have hoped as the England star picked up a hip injury just days before the World Cup began and this caused him to miss his side's first three group games. In Stokes' absence, England lost two out of their opening three games and seemed to be missing his presence on the field massively.

Stokes was not able to influence matters for England once he did return as he has scored just 48 runs in total across the games he has played at the World Cup, which included going out for a duck in the loss to India. England has lost all three of the games Stokes has played in at the tournament.

Getting this surgery on his knee may bring Stokes back to higher levels of performance as the issue has limited him. He has not been able to operate as a proper all-rounder at the World Cup due to the knee problem and instead has been deployed as just a batsman.

Stokes' inability to bowl even goes back to this past summer's Ashes Test series with Australia as he was unable to bowl for the final three Test matches.

Stokes now faces a race against time to resume his duties as England's Test captain and be ready for England's five-match Test series in India starting on January 25th next year in Hyderabad. Before the Test series in India starts, England are set to have a practice camp in the United Arab Emirates, which Stokes will be targeting as a return date after the surgery.

Speaking before England's World Cup game with Australia, Stokes revealed he is confident that he will be fine to lead his country in January against India. The player commented: "I will hopefully be fine for the Test series. I don't think the surgery is going to have any hindrance on me taking part in the series in India."

Stokes also defended his decision to return to 50-over cricket for the World Cup after being asked if he regretted that choice. He said: "If we were in a better position, I wouldn't be asked the question. It is an easy question to ask when things have gone wrong. It was the right decision and I have no regrets whatsoever."

Stokes added that he is eager to operate again as an all-rounder for England after he sorts out his knee issue. The England test captain stated: "It's been a big hindrance on me and affected what I can do for the team. You'd hope that it means that I can get back to doing what I've been known for, which is playing a role as a batter, and playing a role as a bowler as well."

2024 is set to be a busy year for England as in addition to the Test series in India, they will host both West Indies and Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series' next summer. Also, England will host four Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan in May to prepare for their defence of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup next summer in West Indies and the United States.

Later in 2024, England will host Australia with three Twenty20 internationals and five one-day internationals set to be played.

Whilst Stokes' priority will be leading England in Test matches, it is unclear how much he will be involved with one-day cricket for England next year. After the surgery, Stokes will be hoping he can perform to his usual best as an all-rounder for England in whatever formats he is committed to.