Ben Stokes will undergo surgery on a troublesome knee after the World Cup, the England all-rounder said on Friday.
Stokes, 32, has not been bowling regularly because of the injury but expects to recover in time for the five-Test tour of India, which begins on January 25 next year.
“I’ll be fine for the Test series in India. But yes, I am having surgery after the World Cup,” Stokes, the England Test captain, told reporters ahead of Saturday’s World Cup game against Australia in Ahmedabad.
“Not bowling makes it seem a lot longer than what it normally is. But over the last 18 months, it’s been ‘will I, won’t I?’
“It’s probably the first time since I’ve had this knee issue where it’s been quite clear that I’m not going to be bowling.”
England have had a World Cup campaign to forget in India as the defending champions sit bottom of the standings with only one win in six games.
“We’ve had a disastrous World Cup and there’s no point sugar-coating that because it’s the truth.
“But we know these last three games, for us, we’ve got a lot to play for,” Stokes said.
“I think the biggest thing that we’ve got to play for is obviously the pride of what it is to put the Three Lions on your chest, walking out on to the field every time is a very special occasion and something that we value very highly.”
When asked why England had underperformed, Stokes said they failed to take control of games but apart from that the team could not quite put a finger on what went wrong.
“The problem is that we’ve been crap...” Stokes added.
