New Delhi, April 15 (NationPress) England's Test captain Ben Stokes considers himself fortunate to have narrowly avoided severe repercussions from a facial injury sustained earlier this year, as he focuses on his recovery ahead of the international cricket season.

In February, Stokes suffered a fractured right cheekbone and multiple facial injuries when a cricket ball struck him during a training session with Durham's academy players. Following surgery, he is now nearing a return to competitive play.

Reflecting on the incident, Stokes acknowledged that the outcome could have been significantly worse.

"It was quite severe, but ironically, it turned out to be the best possible result from a bad situation. I took a direct hit to the face. Just a few inches in either direction, and I might not be here giving this interview if I hadn’t turned my head," Stokes shared in an interview with the ECB.

Despite the seriousness of the injury and the surgery that followed, the 32-year-old expressed his gratitude for escaping long-term consequences.

“Considering everything, although I underwent substantial facial surgery due to the situation - it was quite a mess around my cheekbone - I’ve come out quite fortunate. I’m thankful for that. This did set me back about a month in my preparations to play at the season's start for Durham,” he remarked.

This setback prompted Stokes to reevaluate his training strategy, but he is now nearing his return to the field.

"I had to quickly return to the drawing board and devise a plan to get me ready for a couple of games with Durham before the Test summer begins. I'm nearing the end of that process now, but it was quite a frightening experience. Thankfully, I’m still here and doing fine,” he noted.

Stokes is anticipated to participate in several County Championship matches before leading England into their inaugural Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s starting June 4, as the team aims to recover from a challenging Ashes series in Australia.

The England captain also addressed rumors regarding his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum, refuting claims of any discord following the 4-1 series loss.

"In a leadership role alongside someone else, if anyone believes that you will always agree on everything, that’s simply unrealistic. To me, that’s not a healthy dynamic in sports, where everyone just nods in agreement or says yes to the leading figure. You need to have discussions. That’s how you reach your shared objectives,” Stokes explained.

He emphasized that occasional disagreements are normal and can actually foster team advancement.

"As much as Brendon and I are alike, we also differ in various ways. However, our mutual goal is to achieve as much success as possible. We find common ground 95% of the time, but for the 5% where our opinions diverge, we discuss it and arrive at a consensus. It's unrealistic to expect total agreement. To say we weren't aligned is a gross exaggeration,” he added.

With his recovery progressing positively, Stokes now appears set to lead England into a pivotal home summer, bringing both experience and a fresh perspective after navigating a tough period both on and off the field.