Srinagar: In a major blow to England Test team, captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of entire season due to injury he sustained recently.
Stokes sustained torn hamstring while batting for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday. He will be replaced as skipper for the three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting at Old Trafford on August 21 by vice-captain Ollie Pope.
England have decided not to name a replacement for Stokes in their squad to face Sri Lanka.
In his absence, Jordan Cox will come into contention to make his Test debut as a specialist batter at No. 6. Alternatively, they could change the balance of the team by moving Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes up to No. 6 and 7 respectively, and select an additional seamer in Matthew Potts or Olly Stone.
Stokes pulled up injured on completing the run, before falling to the floor and clutching his left leg. He had to be helped on the field and returned to the team dugout with crutches.
A scan on Tuesday revealed the extent of the damage.
“The all-rounder is aiming to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi,” the ECB said.
England squad: Ollie Pope (C), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.