Image Credit- ECB
The body is as slender as it has ever been. The canvas
is now sleeker and the tattoos cover more area. The cheekbones are slightly
more prominent. The beard appears to be the only area with excess weight. Ben
Stokes resembles Vincent van Gogh more than ever, therefore put an end to the
memes. It is worth taking note when someone appears to have shrunk from
heavyweight to middleweight classification a little more than 50 days after a
major knee surgery.
By the way, that was a major knee operation. For an
extended period, Stokes had concealed the condition of his left knee as much as
possible, but his clumsy gaits and incapacity to perform bowling duties as an
all-rounder begged for attention with every frown. This included downplaying
the procedure that was ultimately performed at the end of November at the
exclusive Cromwell Hospital in southwest London by expert Dr. Andy Williams.
Stokes stated on Tuesday afternoon in Hyderabad,
“It was a bit more than a ‘clear out’ as well,” after relying on that
term in the months preceding the surgery. A bone spur was removed, and sutures
were used to strengthen the meniscus.
There was genuine reason for the reluctance to have
surgery. a feeling of obligation to England and, at last, fear.
“Surgery
is always the last option,” he said. “Surgeries can go very well, but
they can also sometimes not go too well, and set people back even further, and
potentially even end careers.”
Stokes set about a pre-op routine to shed mass.
“Because obviously, the less weight you’re carrying, the less weight
you’ve got going through your knee and, actually, the quicker your recovery
is,” he explained. An England spokesperson posited Stokes has lost 8-10kg.
That has been facilitated by lifestyle changes, such as cutting alcohol, and a
whole lot of hard graft.
“Throughout the whole process, it was chatting
with the medical team, the surgeon himself. As long as I felt I could do my job
to a certain extent, we were always pushing surgery back as long as we could.
“It’s been a long one, but something that I’m
proud of myself and how hard that I’ve worked to get into this position.
“I know I’ve worked very hard to get myself into
this condition. Hopefully it is something that will give me a little bit longer
as we’re getting to that point – I’m 32 now, and sport and everything like that
isn’t here forever. I want to play for England as long as I possibly can. The
older you get, the harder you work.”