England Test captain Ben Stokes has successfully undergone surgery on his right eye after a freak training accident earlier this month. The 34-year-old shared a graphic update via his Instagram story, showing his severely bruised and swollen eye and cheek. Despite the visual severity, Stokes captioned the image: “May not look like it… but the surgery was a success.”

The Incident: A Coach’s Blunder The injury occurred at Durham’s indoor cricket centre while Stokes was mentoring academy players. Durham head coach Ryan Campbell revealed that Stokes accidentally broke the “No. 1 rule of coaching”: never turn your back on the batter in the nets. When 18-year-old Robbie Bowman struck a ball hard, teammates shouted a warning, but Stokes instinctively turned his head toward the ball instead of away.

A Class Act In a display of true sportsmanship, Stokes’ first concern from the hospital was the young player who hit the ball. “He phoned Robbie Bowman from his hospital and told him not to worry,” Campbell shared. “He knew Robbie would be devastated, but Ben insisted it was his own fault.”

Road Ahead The facial surgery adds to a challenging rehabilitation period for Stokes, who was already recovering from an adductor injury sustained during the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney. Following England’s 1-4 Ashes defeat in Australia, Stokes will be fighting for fitness ahead of England’s home series against New Zealand starting this June.