Due to a hamstring injury, England’s Test captain Ben Stokes was unable to play throughout the English summer. While participating in The Hundred 2024 for Northamptonshire, the all-around player had an injury. He said he would return when the squad travelled to the subcontinent, however he was unable to play in the home Sri Lanka series. His availability prior to the journey to Pakistan is contingent upon the results of the scans.
The 33-year-old participated in the net sessions at Chester-le-Street in Durham in addition to keeping himself occupied with training. Aside from cricket, he was spotted enjoying Celebrity Pro-Am at the Wentworth PGA Championship. Despite being marginal, the veteran appears to have regained his lost spark, but match fitness is dependent on the scans, which are often checked.
Ben Stokes had stated on his return, as cited by India Today, “I’d rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse and then putting myself out of the game for longer.”
Ollie Pope to step-in in Ben Stokes’ potential absence
Stokes is included in the 17-man team that will travel to Pakistan for the red-ball series in the midst of all of this. Ollie Pope had taken over of the captaincy against Sri Lanka while the southpaw was not present. Pope is anticipated to captain the team in the opening Test on October 7 if the former is unable to do so.
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For those who are unaware, England and Pakistan will play three Test matches, with the first match taking place in Multan. The next two Tests will be held in Rawalpindi and Karachi, respectively. When the Three Lions last visited the nation, they defeated the hosts 3-0.
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