Ben Stokes gives fans an update on recovery from finger injury

England all-rounder Ben Stokes seems to be well on his way to a complete recovery from a finger injury. The left-hander finally got the proper hold of his cricket bat six months after he suffered an injury to his index finger.

Stokes suffered a fracture in his index finger while fielding during the Rajasthan Royals’ opening fixture against the Punjab Kings back in April. He was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the IPL 2021.

Stokes underwent surgery and did feature in the ODI series against Pakistan when the first-choice England squad was ruled out due to COVID-19-related issues.

The all-rounder then took a sabbatical from the game to focus on mental health issues and the injury to his finger. Stokes posted a picture on his social media accounts of him holding a bat on Monday. He wrote:

"12th April Broken finger… 11th October first time since breaking being able to get it around my handle."

Stokes underwent a second surgery last week. The ECB recently released a statement on the status of Stokes' injury following the procedure. The ECB said in a statement:

"Stokes had two screws and scar tissue removed from the index finger of his left hand. He will now undergo an intensive period of rehabilitation for the next four weeks under the supervision of the ECB's medical team."

Stokes missed out on the home Test series against India and also looks set to miss the upcoming T20 World Cup and the Ashes tour this winter.

This will be the second successive Ashes tour that Ben Stokes has missed

The Durham all-rounder wasn't a part of the 2017 Ashes Down Under due to his involvement in a brawl in Bristol. This time around, it's his injured index finger and mental health issues that will keep the southpaw away from the iconic series.

There is still the possibility of Stokes making an appearance in Australia at some point during the series. For now, head coach Chris Silverwood has denied that the champion cricketer could be a part of England's 'Plan B'. Silverwood said during a media interaction following the announcement of England's Ashes squad:

"Ben is moving forward. In the communications I have had with him, he is definitely more upbeat. But what I will say is there will be no pressure from me for him to rush back. I've said, 'When you're ready, you call me and we'll make a plan from there.' So there's no pressure from me and no date on it."

He added:

"I'm not going to tell him when he comes back. I'll be led by him and my concern, first and foremost, is his well-being. When he does come back, we'll make sure he's in the right place."

The Ashes will get underway at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 8.