Stokes sustained the injury during fielding on Day 2 of the first Test at Headingley.
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England have already confirmed their key all-rounder will miss the second Test of three, starting at his home ground in Chester-le-Street on Friday, after scans on the left knee he jarred during the innings victory at Leeds.
The 27-year-old won the last of six Test caps against South Africa in January.
Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes and uncapped Nottinghamshire paceman Jake Ball are the possible replacements for Stokes if he is deemed too risky for the second instalment of a three-match series.
Anderson overtook Indian great Kapil Dev to become the sixth highest Test wicket-taker of all time, with 443.
And Bairstow can not wait to get going again at a venue where he has a terrific record both for Yorkshire and England, the highlight being a brilliant 83 off 60 balls which delivered the ODI series against New Zealand last summer.
Even without Stokes, England would expect to seal the series in Durham against a Sri Lanka side lacking the experience of retired batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
“We try not to but you can take performances like that for granted, certainly against a young Sri Lanka side but I honestly don’t think it would have mattered who was batting against that level of bowling from Jimmy”.
Stuart Broad has revealed he wants to play for England at the 2019 World Cup and he will work tirelessly to make it happen.
With England quickly hitting form at the start of its summer season, Sri Lanka was all out for 91 in its first innings.
A short statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said: “Durham and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has undergone surgery this afternoon to address a cartilage tear in his left knee”. The star of the show in that game were Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson.
Stokes, meanwhile, is set to discover how long he is likely to be absent.
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He took his maiden five-wicket haul and scored his first Test century during that tour, which ended the worldwide careers of players like Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, and damaged the confidence of others.
