England captain Ben Stokes will likely miss the first test against Pakistan as his fitness remains uncertain following a hamstring injury he sustained during The Hundred 2024.
Stokes sustained the injury in August while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and missed England’s recent three-match series against Sri Lanka, with Ollie Pope stepping in as captain.
Although the English all-rounder hoped to return in the first Multan test, he must receive medical clearance. He participated in England’s initial training session but bowled only a few gentle deliveries and felt discomfort during his batting practice.
While speaking ahead of Zak Crawley ahead of the test series, he provided an update on Ben Stokes’ fitness saying, “I think he’s got to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff.
“He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury, (but) we don’t know just yet. We feel ready, whatever team comes out it will be a nice balance either way.
“We’ve got a really deep squad with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well.”
If Stokes is unable to play, England will be facing a challenge at Pakistan. The team might need to sacrifice one of their top six batsmen to maintain a balanced lineup, especially if Stokes is limited to play as a specialist batter.
Meanwhile, Crawley has recovered from his own injury a broken finger suffered against West Indies and is ready for action. Though he will avoid fielding in the slips for now, he has resumed batting and feels prepared for the series.
“I feel brand new. I’m looking forward to getting out there,” he said. “I couldn’t pick up a bat for five weeks. I’ve certainly missed it, so I can’t wait to get out there again with the boys.
“It was a nasty break at the time but I’ve recovered well and I don’t feel it at all while I’m batting.”
Zak Crawley’s break has kept him out of competitive action since July 26, but despite the lack of warmup matches ahead of the Test series, he feels fully prepared and ready to perform.
“I always think of it like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” he said. “It’s not like I need two weeks to prepare, because this is something I’ve been doing since I was 12 years old. I’m always ready to play. That’s just what I do.”
“I won’t go at slip, just from advice from the doctor, but I feel like I could. I’m trying to rest it but I did a few catches and it feels fine. I’m just trying to follow the professional advice.”
In their last meeting at Pakistan, England secured a clean sweep victory and will be eyeing to repeat the history. Meanwhile, Pakistan are back from a 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh and will look forward to securing a victory at home.
With the Pakistan Cricket Board announcing the revised schedule for the home test tour, the first match will begin on October 07 at Multan Cricket Stadium.
