England Test captain Ben Stokes has referred to himself as "the Bionic Man" following his latest surgery.
Stokes tore his left hamstring again in England's final Test against New Zealand in December and, following his operation, has been ruled out for at least three months.
That spell out also means Stokes will not be able to play in the ICC Champions Trophy in February.
Stokes was unavailable for four straight Test matches – three at home to Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan – after suffering the same injury while playing in The Hundred in August.
The 33-year-old posted on Instagram on Tuesday to show that he had had his surgery. He posted a picture of himself laying on the back seat of a car, with his leg supported by a brace and pillows.
"Bionic Man for a while," the caption said, followed by a laughing emoji before Stokes signed off with "in a bit...".
Something else to overcome…go on then!!!!!!!!
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) December 23, 2024
I’ve got so much more left in this tank and so much more blood sweat and tears to go through for my team and this shirt.
There’s a reason I have a Phoenix permanently inked on my body
See you on the field to fuck some shit up
England's next Test is not until May 22, when they face Zimbabwe in a four-day game at Trent Bridge.
They will then face India in a five-Test series in the summer, beginning on June 20 at Headingley and finishing at The Oval in late July.
Stokes had previously said he had no plans to take things easier with the ball, despite his latest setback coming in the middle of an over he was bowling.
"I ain't holding back," he said at the time of the injury. "Every setback, I come back stronger.
"There's no doubt I'll be going away from here... and getting myself back to where I was. That's my job."
