- Ben Stokes’ absence from the first Test against Pakistan has been confirmed
- A hamstring injury saw the England captain miss the series against Sri Lanka
- Ollie Pope will serve as captain once again after Stokes’ sad injury news
Ben Stokes has been ruled out of Monday’s first Test against Pakistan because of his hamstring tear – and said he was doing everything in his power to recover in time for the second game, starting on October 15.
His absence has allowed England to hand a Test debut to his Durham team-mate Brydon Carse, who touched 90mph during the recent white-ball series against Australia, but may struggle to reach those heights in temperatures expected to reach at least 36 degrees in Multan.
There is also a return for spinner Jack Leach, who has not played for England since the first Test against India at Hyderabad in January, and will team up with his Somerset colleague Shoaib Bashir.
But the absence of Stokes for the fourth Test in a row will concern the management, with England’s captain unable to say for sure whether he would be fit in time for the second match, also in Multan.
‘I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this game, but have taken the call to miss this one because I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready,’ he said.
Ben Stokes has not been passed fit for England’s first Test against Pakistan on Monday
The England captain trained alongside his team-mates as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury
With Stokes unavailable Ollie Pope captained England to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka last month
‘There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the picture of what we’ve got coming up and physically where I’m at, I’m not quite ready to play. It’s always frustrating to miss out.’
Asked whether he would be ready for the second Test, he replied: ‘Not sure. I’ve pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I’m at now. I think I’m further ahead than what we expected. I’ll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try to get myself fit.’
As against Sri Lanka, the Nos 6-8 slots will be filled by Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson, leaving England with a vulnerable lower order.
