'Cricket balls do serious damage': Ben Stokes undergoes surgery; vows to 'never not wear a helmet' after injury

England men's cricket team Test captain Ben Stokes has said he will always wear a helmet while batting, including during practice sessions, after being hit on the face by a ball earlier this month.Stokes also questioned the approach of batters who choose not to wear a helmet while facing spin."I never understood the no helmet when spin is bowling, I used to have throwdowns with no helmet," Stokes wrote in a post on X. "After my accident last week and getting seriously lucky with the outcome, I’ll never not wear a helmet, cricket balls do serious damage," he added.The incident occurred while Stokes was watching a net session for his county side, Durham. He was accidentally struck by a ball, suffering damage to his cheekbone, nose and eye.He later shared a photo from hospital showing bruising to his face and wrote, “You should see the state of the cricket ball.”Stokes underwent surgery for a broken cheekbone. On February 5, he posted an update on Instagram from his hospital bed, showing bruising around his right eye and a small incision on his cheek."May not look like it... but the surgery was a success," he wrote.Stokes stepped away from England’s white-ball setup after the 2023 World Cup and is not part of their squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, where England have won two of their three group matches.He is expected to return to international cricket in the first Test of England’s home series against New Zealand national cricket team in June. Before that, he could feature for Durham in the County Championship.