Ben Stokes ruled out for 12 weeks with fractured finger

The England allrounder suffered the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ defeat against Punjab Kings in their opening match of the tournament

Ben Stokes has been ruled out for up to 12 weeks after fracturing his left index finger while in Indian Premier League action.

The England allrounder, named on Thursday as the Wisden Almanack’s Leading Cricketer of the Year, suffered the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ defeat against Punjab Kings in their opening match of the tournament.

The issue occurred while diving forward to catch Chris Gayle at long-on, having already dropped a chance earlier in the game. He subsequently opened the batting but was out for nought.

He will undergo surgery on Monday in Leeds after an X-ray and CT scan revealed the fracture.

Stokes is still in India, but he will now fly home on Saturday.

The timeframe on his recovery means that he seems certain to miss England’s Test series against New Zealand at the start of June, as well as the white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

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