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England Test captain Ben Stokes left bloodied after brutal facial injury | Cricket News

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England Test captain Ben Stokes left bloodied after brutal facial injury

England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed the extent of a nasty facial injury after being struck flush on the face by a cricket ball during a training session. The all-rounder shared an image on Instagram showing a badly bruised and swollen right eye, a cut on his cheek and lip, and a bandage packed into his nose.

​Ben Stokes​ Insta story

Ben Stokes Insta story

Despite the severity of the blow, Stokes took the incident in good humour, captioning the post: “You should see the state of the cricket ball,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.

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Stokes is currently not part of England’s white-ball plans and will miss the upcoming T20 World Cup. He is expected to make his return during England’s Test series against New Zealand in June. The incident comes in the aftermath of a difficult Ashes campaign for England, which ended in a heavy 4-1 defeat in Australia. Expectations had been high ahead of the tour, with England aiming to win the Ashes Down Under for the first time since 2010–11. However, defeats in the first three Tests meant Australia retained the urn within 11 days. England managed a consolation win in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG before losing the series finale in Sydney. Stokes himself endured a tough series with the bat, averaging just 18.40 across 10 innings. He was more effective with the ball, finishing with 15 wickets at an average of 25.13. His leadership also came under scrutiny. Fast bowling legend James Anderson questioned Stokes’ public praise of his players following the defeat, expressing surprise at the tone of the captain’s comments. “When I saw Stokes come out and say, the way (Josh) Tongue and (Brydon) Carse have just run in like consistently, I had a Roy Keane moment,” Anderson said on BBC Radio. “I was like, that’s your job. If you’re not willing to run in all day for your team, don’t bother. You’re in the wrong sport.” Stokes defended his side after the fifth Test, insisting effort and commitment were not the issue. “We’ve dropped a lot of catches on this tour which have been very costly to the overall situation of the games. In terms up of stepping up, I can never fault anyone’s commitment or energy that they’ve given into this. We haven’t performed well, we know that, we hold our hands up to that. But no one should question the care and commitment to try and go out there and give it your absolute best. It’s just been down to the lack of execution,” he said. Stokes later admitted he had made significant mistakes as captain during the series. England’s tour was also marred by off-field controversy, with a mid-series trip to Noosa drawing attention amid reports of a drinking culture within the camp. As Stokes recovers from his facial injury, the focus now shifts to his return in the longest format, where England will hope for a reset after a bruising Ashes campaign, both on and off the field.

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Corbin Carroll slam extends D-backs’ win streak, Jays’ skid

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MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Arizona DiamondbacksApr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) steals secondbase under the tag by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Corbin Carroll broke a tie with an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Phoenix on Saturday.

Ildemaro Vargas singled off Jeff Hoffman (1-2) to open the eighth, extending his season-opening hitting streak to a franchise-record 14 games.

Alek Thomas singled and Ketel Marte walked to bring up Carroll, who hit his fourth career grand slam on a 3-1 fastball.

The D-backs, who have won eight of 10, lead the majors with 10 comeback victories.

Geraldo Perdomo had three singles and an RBI and Thomas had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had eight hits.

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Nathan Lukes had three hits, Kazuma Okamoto had two hits and an RBI and Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight, six of seven and 12 of 15.

Juan Morillo (1-1) struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a 100 mph fastball with a runner on first to end the seventh and keep the game tied at 2. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Toronto starter Max Scherzer gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, with one strikeout and one walk.

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Arizona starter Zac Gallen permitted two runs and nine hits, leaving after Okamato’s single tied the game at 2 with two outs in the sixth. He struck out three with no walks.

Lukes, Guerrero and Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the first, with Sanchez’s one-out single driving in Lukes for a 1-0 lead. Guerrero has a nine-game hitting streak.

The D-backs tied it in their half of the first when Carroll walked, stole second and scored on Perdomo’s single. Thomas grounded a two-out double inside the bag at first to drive in Jose Fernandez, who had singled, to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the fifth.

Toronto tied it in the sixth after an apparent double play was changed after a review. Jimenez singled with one out, and Gallen appeared to get out of the inning when Andres Gimenez grounded to Fernandez to start what originally was called an inning-ending double play.

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Perdomo was ruled to have missed the bag on the play, leaving Jimenez at second, and he scored on Okamoto’s single to tie the game.

–Field Level Media

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5 Reasons why Gunther defeated Seth Rollins at WWE WrestleMania 42

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One of the matches that actually delivered on the first night at WWE WrestleMania was Gunther vs Seth Rollins. The Ring General and The Visionary delivered a banger show and impressed everyone in the crowd.

However, the match concluded when Bron Breakker returned to WWE and destroyed Seth Rollins. This attack allowed the Career Ki**er to defeat the Architect and secure the victory.

Following the match, the new Big Dog continues his domination and spears the former Vision leader again. Meanwhile, in this article, we will be looking at five reasons why The Ring General defeated Rollins at Showcase of Immortals Night 1.


#5. To continue Gunther’s undefeated streak

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Over the past few months, Gunther continued his domination in the squared circle. In the last few months, the former Imperium Leader retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles.

Not only this, but he also has an impressive winning streak in the squared circle in singles matches. The last time Gunther suffered a loss in a singles match was at SummerSlam 2025, where CM Punk defeated him to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Since then, The Ring General has defeated everyone in his match in singles bouts. So, it seems WWE wants to keep Gunther’s undefeated streak going. As a result, he defeated The Visionary at ‘Mania on Saturday.


#4. To set up a WWE rematch down the road

Gunther defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42 opens the door for a potential rematch in the near future. If The Visionary had defeated the Career Ki**er at ‘Mania, it would have concluded their rivalry as Rollins stopped his threat amid a feud with the Vision faction.

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However, this doesn’t happen, and the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion put The Architect in a sleeper hold after Bron Breakker’s interruption. Now, WWE can use this angle to set the stage for a rematch between them later this year.

If the Ring General mocks Rollins for beating him at Mania 42, Seth will indeed seek revenge for this loss, setting the stage for another bout. The chances are likely if Seth manages to win the world title later this year.


#3. Paul Heyman now owes Gunther a favor

If Seth Rollins had defeated Gunther at the Grandest Stage of Them All, it might have created a hindrance for the Ring General to redeem his favor from Paul Heyman. After saving the Oracle on Monday Night RAW, the former Imperium Leader confirmed that Heyman owed him a favor.

After defeating the Visionary at Shows of the Shows, Gunther can firmly claim his favor from the Advocate anytime he wants. Many predicted it might lead to a Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar dream showdown, considering that the Hall of Famer is still working with the Beast Incarnate.

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So, this appears to be another major reason behind the loss of Seth Rollins at Mania 42.


#2. To heat things between Seth Rollins & Bron Breakker

One of the primary reasons why Gunther defeated Seth Rollins at Showcase of Immortals was Bron Breakker. The WWE comeback of Bron and his attack on the Visionary gave the Ring General a major advantage to put the ex-Vision leader into a sleeper hold.

So, to heat things between Breakker and Rollins could be another potential reason why the Career Ki**er defeated Seth on Mania Saturday. Now, in the aftermath edition of Monday Night RAW, Rollins will indeed call Breakker out and punish him for his actions.

This will lead to the much-anticipated match between Seth and Bron in the Stamford-based promotion.

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#1. It doesn’t hurt Seth Rollins’ momentum post-Mania

BRON BREAKKER SPEARS SETH ROLLINS AGAIN!!! #WrestleMania OH MY 😱

It’s crucial to note that Gunther indeed secured victory at WrestleMania 42. However, this only happened when the Visionary passed out from the sleeper hold. The Ring General failed to secure a pinfall victory over the Architect.

Even the Visionary never tapped out from Gunther’s submission. The match ended when the referee checked Rollins, and he faded out from that choke. Also, the former World Heavyweight Champion only managed to put this submission move tight on the beloved WWE star after Bron Breakker’s disruption.

Overall, this doesn’t hurt the Architect’s momentum post-WrestleMania 42, and it’s another reason WWE booked Gunther to defeat Seth at the Shows of the Shows.

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Despite this loss, Rollins will still appear strong in his forthcoming feud against Bron Breakker. Meanwhile, if Seth had defeated the Ring General, it would have not only ended his undefeated streak but also impacted his momentum post-WrestleMania.

So, these are all the potential reasons why Gunther defeated Seth Rollins at WWE WrestleMania 42 on Saturday. The RAW after Mania show will be interesting to witness, particularly after Bron Breakker returns to the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.

Also, it remains to be seen what’s next for the WWE Career Ki**er after his massive victory over the Visionary.