England Test captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes is expected to undergo knee surgery post-World Cup later this year which could rule him out of their India tour, scheduled between January and March 2024.
Stokes, who has been troubled by chronic tendonitis in his left knee throughout this summer, could bowl only 29 overs in five Tests. The star all-rounder had recently reversed his retirement decision for the upcoming World Cup after a call by England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler.
After agreeing to play the ODI World Cup only as a batter, Stokes is likely to play only as a batsman for the five-Test tour of India next year or undergo surgery and miss the tour completely.
Speaking publicly for the first time since returning to 50-over cricket for the first time since starring for England in the 2019 World Cup on home soil, Stokes said: “The words World Cup are pretty inspiring. The idea of going in and potentially being able to win back-to-back World Cups was one of the big things.”
Stokes also talked about his plans to manage his knee after the tournament and said: “There will be potential of something happening after the World Cup.”
He, however, said this was not the right time for him to make a call as his side is gearing up for the New Zealand ODI ahead of the showpiece event.
“There’s quite a long time off after the World Cup. I’ve been having some good conversations with some specialists. There is a plan in place. When we do what we need to do to give myself a chance of getting back to being a genuine all-rounder there will be a time when I can say what I’m doing,” he told BBC on Thursday.
“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 said.
If the 32-year-old decides to play the India tour only as a batter and undergoes surgery after that, he would most likely miss the IPL 2024 and the home summer.