• Ben Stokes underwent hamstring surgery after suffering an injury in December
• He is now stepping up his recovery ahead of a huge year of Test cricket
• Stokes will train alongside an England Lions group coached by Andrew Flintoff

By RICHARD GIBSON

Published: 11:04 GMT, 6 March 2025 | Updated: 14:28 GMT, 6 March 2025

Ben Stokes is stepping up his recovery from injury by joining an England Lions training camp in Abu Dhabi.

England Test captain Stokes, 33, suffered a recurrence of a left hamstring tear in third Test defeat to New Zealand in December, but vowed to come back even stronger, saying: ‘I’ve got so much more left in this tank. There’s a reason I have a Phoenix permanently inked on my body.’

Despite a reputation for ‘ruining himself,’ whenever embarking on a fitness comeback, the ECB’s medical team are said to have been taken aback by his physical appearance during a second rehab in the space of six months, having sustained the injury initially playing in the Hundred last August.

The Lions group currently out in the Gulf is being overseen by head coach Andrew Flintoff and includes his 16-year-old son Rocky Flintoff.

Stokes’ progress suggests he is ahead of schedule in his bid to face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test in Nottingham in May, and he has clearly prioritised England’s matches in a year of Test series against India and Australia by pulling out of the Hundred this summer.

His Durham and Northern Superchargers team-mate Brydon Carse also now has extra time to seek specialist help after Sunrisers Hyderabad ruled him out of the Indian Premier League with an unusual injury.

Ben Stokes suffered another hamstring injury in December and required surgery

He is now stepping up his recovery ahead of a legacy-defining year for Bazball

Stokes is on course to lead England for their Test series against India and Australia

Fast bowler Carse has been dogged by the pointer toe in his left foot splitting throughout a winter of bowling on harder surfaces than he is accustomed to in the UK.

Stitching the wound ahead of the Champions Trophy led to an infection developing and, after playing only the opening defeat to Australia in that tournament, he has now been replaced in the Sunrisers’ squad by South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder.

It follows Reece Topley’s sidelining due to hernia surgery and reduces the number of England players participating in this year’s IPL to 10.

Jacob Bethell is understood to be fit to start the competition following a hamstring issue that developed on the recent white-ball tour of India and will meet up with Royal Challengers Bangalore next week after the IPL sent notification that contracts yet to be received by English players were being issued.

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