England's Test captain Ben Stokes has opened up on his future plans for his chronic knee injury. The England all-rounder has hinted that he may go under the knife for his knee issue after the completion of the ODI World Cup in India. Stokes, who has been troubled with a recurrence of a left knee problem, has returned from an ODI retirement for the 2023 World Cup defence in India.
Stokes claimed that he has a really good plan for his knee in the future but did not elaborate much on it. "I know what's going to happen, I just don't think now is right time to say what I'm doing. I've been having some good conversations with some specialists. There is a plan in place. It's nice knowing after the World Cup we've got something, a really good plan we can do and we can stick to," Stokes said on the eve of England's first ODI against New Zealand on Friday. England face New Zealand in a four-match ODI series at home.
The Englkabd highlighted that he wants to play the next summer as a complete all-rounder, another hint for surgery. "I want to be playing next summer as a genuine all-rounder. This winter is all about playing this World Cup, then getting this knee sorted," he added
Stokes could miss the Test series against India
Moreover, surgery could mean that Stokes can be out of action for at least the start of the five-match Test series against India. The England Test skipper would reportedly need 8-12 weeks to recover after a knee surgery and that would depend on the nature of the surgery and also on time taken for rehabilitation. England's Test series against India begin from January 25 onwards with the final game starting on March 7.
As the T20 leagues continue to tempt International cricketers, several players are opting out of the central contracts. However, Stokes said he is comfortable with those decisions. "We've got to understand, and I've got to understand as a captain, that there might be some decisions players make and I'm very comfortable and aware that something like that might happen. But it's up to the individual and I think having a good and clear understanding that the landscape of cricket is changing in front of our eyes very quickly, makes things like this a bit more easy to understand if players were to choose to do something like that," he added.
