Ben Stokes has revealed that he forgot how he sustained a stomach injury in Sri Lanka

Ben Stokes revealed that the coronavirus-induced break in cricket has helped him recover from an injury he sustained while in Sri Lanka. The explosive all-rounder was part of the England squad that was in the island nation to play a two-Test series before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the tour to be called off.

The 28-year-old said he was pleased with ECB’s decision to call the tour off and send the players back to their families. Particularly so since the break has helped him recover from an injury he sustained in the nets.

“One thing the break has allowed me to do is get over my stomach injury that caused me to miss the second warm up match in Colombo,” Stokes wrote. “I’d had a bat, then sat down in a chair and had some lunch."

“When I got up to move it felt like someone was stabbing me in my abdomen, it was so painful. The doctor thought it might be appendicitis, but a scan ruled that out, and we still didn’t know why I was in such pain.”

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Stokes admitted that it was strange to be heading back home after preparing the mind and body to play Test cricket. However, he does understand the need for such a call, and that health needs to take priority.

“This is the reality of where we are at in the world, and at this moment in time, the most important thing is everybody’s health,” the all-rounder mentioned.

As of now, the Indian Premier League, slated to begin on April 15, is the Englishman’s next assignment but given the situation in the world currently, Stokes believes one can never be sure if the tournament will go ahead as planned.