The England men’s cricket team is in Pakistan these days to take part in a three-match Test series. The series opener is scheduled to take place in Multan from Monday (October 7) onwards. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took to X on Saturday (October 5) to announce England’s playing XI for the series opener at Multan Cricket Stadium, and there was no place for Ben Stokes.
The England’s Test captain, who missed the last Test series against Sri Lanka due to injury, will not play in the series opener as he is still recovering from a hamstring tear. Stokes, who was expecting to get fit in time for the first Test, expressed disappointment in not being able to participate, despite his efforts to regain fitness.
“I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this first game, but I’ve taken the call to miss this one,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports.
“I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready. There is a lot that has to go into my rehab program. We got to a certain point, but looking at the bigger picture and physically where I’m at, I’m not quite ready to play,” he added.
Stokes suffered an injury during the men’s Hundred competition in August, and because of that, he missed the three-match home series against Sri Lanka in August-September 2024.
In Stokes absence, No. 3 batter Ollie Pope will lead England in the series opener. Pope, who has seven Test centuries to his name, made his captaincy debut in August 2024 and has won two out of three Tests played so far as England captain.
Stokes, who replaced Joe Root as England’s Test captain in April 2022, is focused on his recovery and expects to be available for the Poms in the second match, which is also scheduled to take place at the same venue from October 15 to 19.
“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 Test,” he said.
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