England Test captain Ben Stokes has dubbed himself “Bionic Man” after undergoing his latest hamstring operation.

Stokes tore his left hamstring during England’s final game of 2024 in New Zealand, requiring surgery and a three-month lay-off from competitive cricket.

He took to Instagram to confirm he had gone under the knife, posting a picture of him sprawled on the back seat of a car supported by a large leg brace and pillows.

In the captions he wrote “Bionic Man for a while” accompanied by a laughing emoji and signed off “in a bit…”.

Stokes missed four consecutive Test matches after tearing the same hamstring while playing in the Hundred last August.

He worked through an intense period of rehabilitation and appeared to be back to full fitness as he resumed all-rounder duties with bat and ball against the Black Caps. But his increased workload caught up with him in the final Test at Hamilton, where he left the field after pulling up mid-over and was unable to play any further part in the match.

Stokes had already been omitted from England’s squad for next month’s Champions Trophy and, with no Test matches until May, has time on his side as he looks to get back to peak condition.

Speaking after sustaining the injury he promised: “I ain’t holding back. 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.”