New Delhi, March 28 : England captain Ben Stokes has confirmed that his return to competitive cricket has been delayed until May due to complications from a cheekbone injury. The 34-year-old all-rounder, who was hit by a ball during a training session with Durhamâ??s academy players in early February, underwent surgery a week later to repair the fractured cheekbone.

Stokes had originally intended to return during Durhamâ??s County Championship opening game against Kent this Friday. However, the club is still waiting for final medical approval from specialists. Durham's head coach, Ryan Campbell, suggested that Stokes probably won't play until the matches against Worcestershire on May 8 and then against Kent at Beckenham on May 15.

If Stokes is unable to return before then, those games could represent his only red-ball action before England's first Test of the summer against New Zealand, which begins on June 4.

Campbell described the injury as a close call. â?? could have been horrific. So, so much worse than what you think. A couple of centimetres, a different way it hits him in the eye, and it could have been different. The ball was hit so hard. We are just lucky he got away with it,â?? he was quoted by the BBC.

Stokes has not played since England's disappointing Ashes campaign, during which he was hindered by an adductor injury that he sustained in the penultimate Test in Sydney. Despite the series loss, Stokes remains Englandâ??s captain, and both coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key have retained their positions.

Reflecting on his leadership, Stokes described the last few months as â??the hardest periodâ?? of his tenure, but voiced confidence in the current coaching regime, backing them to steer the team forward.

â??He has been training so hard to be ready. He has a lot to prove. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know the Ashes didn't go so well, and he is a proud man who wants England to be the best team in the world. He, as a professional, is working at getting it right and ready to go,â?? he added.

In addition to his red-ball duties, Stokes has expressed his intention to play in this summer's One-Day Cup for Durham. While the competition runs concurrently with The Hundredâ??where county sides typically field second-string playersâ??Stokes' decision to opt out of the T20 tournament and his absence from England's white-ball squad means that the One-Day Cup will offer him a chance to play limited-overs cricket between the Test series.

Stokes has not participated in 50-over cricket since England's 2023 World Cup campaign in India and has not featured in the One-Day Cup for Durham since 2014. Following the conclusion of the New Zealand Test series in late June, England will take on Pakistan in a three-match Test series starting on August 19.

/IANS