Stokes was struck in the face by a Durham academy player while helping in the nets in early February. He was subsequently part of the coaching staff for England Lions white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in the UAE, but has yet to be passed fit for a playing return.
Durham had originally pencilled him in for their season opener against Kent next week, but Ryan Campbell, the club’s head coach, said that Stokes was unlikely to play before their fifth game, against Worcestershire starting on May 8.
“[The incident] could have been horrific,” Campbell said at Durham’s pre-season media day. “So, so much worse than what you think. A couple of centimetres a different way it hits him in the eye and it could have been different.
“The ball was hit so hard. We are just lucky he got away with it.”
Stokes has not played competitively since sustaining a groin injury during the fifth Ashes Test in January. He may now only have two fixtures for Durham – against Worcestershire and Kent in May – before England return to action with a three-Test series against New Zealand starting on June 4.
“He has been training so hard to be ready,” Campbell said. “He has a lot to prove. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know the Ashes didn’t go so well and he is a proud man who wants England to be the best team in the world.
“He, as a professional, is working at getting right and ready to go.”