London: England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be out for up to 12 weeks after fracturing his finger while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Friday.
“....... a repeat X-ray and CT scan on Thursday revealed that he has a fracture of his left index finger,” the ECB said in a statement.
The all-rounder will require surgery now and will be leaving to England on Saturday.
Stokes sustained the injured when he took a catch in the outfield during Rajasthan Royals’ opening game of IPL 2021, and had subsequently been ruled out of the tournament.
The extent of the injury though, now revealed after the scans, will see him out of action for a considerable part of the English summer.
England are set to host New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India in that order in the upcoming months.
Stokes is now set to possibly miss England’s home two-test series against New Zealand, which begins on June 2. He is also likely be unavailable for the white ball internationals against Sri Lanka in June.
However, he should be recovered for the five-test series against India, starting on August 4. (UNI)