England captain Ben Stokes has surgery in bid to solve long-standing knee injury

Ben Stokes has undergone surgery on his troublesome left knee and will begin a rehabilitation programme with the aim of being fit for England’s next Test assignment in just under two months’ time.

A chronic injury gradually worsened to the point of Stokes not bowling in the final three Ashes Tests, while he was selected as a specialist batter for England’s doomed World Cup title defence in India.

Stokes revealed earlier this month he intended to have an operation at the end of the World Cup in a bid to “get back to doing what I’ve been known for” and operate as a fully-fledged all-rounder.

The 32-year-old played in six matches during the tournament in India, firing a century in the victory over the Netherlands and ending as England's second-highest run scorer in their disappointing group-stage elimination.

He posted an image on social media of himself on crutches on Wednesday outside London’s Cromwell Hospital, alongside a short caption which said: “In and out. Under the [knife emoji] done. Rehab starts now.”

No timescale has been given for his recovery but Stokes is attempting to be back in time to captain England in a five-match Test series in India.

The first Test takes place in Hyderabad on January 25 – England are expected to fly out to the UAE for a warm-up camp two weeks earlier – with other games being held in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala.

Stokes confirmed last week he will not feature in next year’s Indian Premier League in an effort to manage his workload and fitness. He was released by Chennai Super Kings a couple of days later.

In and out

Under the