Ben Stokes. (Source – Getty Images)
England red-ball captain Ben Stokes will miss the first Test against Pakistan, starting October 7. The all-rounder missed the series against Sri Lanka owing to a hamstring injury and will now miss the first Test against the Shan Masood-led side in Multan. In his absence, Ollie Pope will lead the side, as he did against Sri Lanka, which England won 2-1.
Meanwhile, Stokes revealed that he tried his best to get fit before the first Test but isn’t quite game-ready. He noted that his body is currently not ready to return to international cricket and looking at the bigger picture, he decided to skip the first Test. He also added that it’s frustrating for him to sit out but in the meantime, he is willing to work hard in the next 10 days to be ready for the second Test.
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“I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this first game but I’ve taken the call to miss this one. I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready. There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the bigger picture of what we’ve got coming up and physically where I’m at, I’m not quite ready to play,” Stokes was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.
“It’s always frustrating to miss out. I’ve got some good things to focus on, so even though I’m not playing I’ve got a goal in mind. I’ve got a good 10 days to get myself ready for the second.” he added.
England have already announced their playing XI for the first Test. Pacer Brydon Carse is set to make his debut as Mark Wood is currently out with an elbow injury. Carse meanwhile has played 48 first class games and picked up 123 wickets at an average of 33.78. Ben Duckett, on the other hand, will be making his return. He missed the Sri Lanka series due to a finger injury.