England Test captain Ben Stokes sustained painful facial injuries after being struck by a cricket ball during a coaching session with Durham's youth squad at the county's indoor training facility, before later providing a classy phone call.
The 34-year-old was hit on the right side of his face when young batsman and wicketkeeper Robbie Bowman, aged 18, drove a ball powerfully in his direction during net practice.
Following the incident, Stokes required hospital treatment and subsequently shared a selfie on Instagram revealing the extent of his injuries to his three million followers.
The image showed his right eye blackened and swollen shut, with visible grazes across his cheek and mouth, along with a dressing protruding from his nose.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Stokes demonstrated remarkable character by telephoning Bowman from his hospital bed to reassure the teenager and insist the accident was entirely his own fault.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell disclosed the gesture, saying: "I'll tell you this because Stokesy never would.
"He phoned Robbie Bowman from his hospital and told him not to worry."
England Test captain Ben Stokes sustained painful facial injuries after being struck by a cricket ball during a coaching session with Durham's youth squad at the county's indoor training facility, before later providing a classy phone call
|Campbell explained that Stokes understood the young player would have been deeply distressed by what happened.
"He'd have known that Robbie would have been beside himself but Ben said it was his fault. That sums up the sort of bloke Stokesy is," the coach added.
The England skipper managed to find humour in the painful situation, captioning his Instagram post: "You should see the state of the cricket ball" alongside a laughing emoji.
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Ben Stokes called Robbie Bowman to made it clear there were no hard feelings
|PA
Campbell revealed that Stokes acknowledged violating a fundamental coaching principle during the session.
"Stokesy said he broke the No1 rule of being a coach in the nets never turn your back on the batter!" the Durham coach explained.
Fortuitously, the county's medical staff happened to be on site conducting training simulations when the accident occurred.
"Suddenly, they had a real emergency to deal with," Campbell noted.
Fellow players attempted to alert Stokes with shouted warnings, but he inadvertently turned his head towards the incoming ball rather than away from it.
His close friend Scott Borthwick transported him to hospital, accompanied by Durham's physiotherapist.
Ben Stokes will travel to the UAE later this month to join Andrew Flintoff's England Lions coaching staff for white-ball fixtures against Pakistan, where he will continue his rehabilitation whilst gaining coaching experience.
|PA
Stokes has endured a difficult period with injuries in recent years, having torn his hamstring on two occasions during 2024 and missing last summer's final Test due to a shoulder problem.
He is currently rehabilitating from a groin injury sustained during the concluding match of England's 4-1 Ashes series defeat in Australia.
However, the all-rounder has resumed batting practice and appears to be progressing well in his recovery.
"Ben has been looking good when batting in the nets," Campbell said. "He has already indicated that he intends playing three or four county championship matches before that Test match."
England face New Zealand at Lord's on June 4 in their opening summer Test.
Stokes will travel to the UAE later this month to join Andrew Flintoff's England Lions coaching staff for white-ball fixtures against Pakistan, where he will continue his rehabilitation whilst gaining coaching experience.