Tag: Ben Stokes

England Test captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return to action in the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.

Stokes suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers during The Hundred 2024 back in August.

He tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

However, Ben Stokes was named in the squad for the Pakistan tour owing to his progress in recovery. He resumed light batting training in late August and participated in lengthy net sessions in September.

An England team spokesman said that Stokes practised with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Ben [Stokes] bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high-intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.

“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”

England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan announced their squad for the remaining two matches of the series. Star batter Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed as well as pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have been dropped.

Squads:

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: Fakhar Zaman defends Babar Azam after England Tests snub

England all-rounder Sam Curran has expressed his frustration over not getting a recall to the Test team despite captain Ben Stokes’ injury.

Stokes suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers during The Hundred 2024 back in August.

He tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

Curran, who last played red-ball cricket for England in August 2021, recently shared that he was expecting a call-up to the Test team after Stokes’ injury.

“I’ll be totally honest when Stokesy [Ben Stokes] got injured, I did probably think that was my way back into the Test team,” Sam Curran said while talking to talkSPORT.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“A couple of weeks back, I had a meeting with Keysy [Rob Key, director of cricket] just to get a bit of understanding of where the group is, and how I see myself getting back into the Test side.”

The 26-year-old all-rounder revealed that he was disappointed over missing out on a place in the Test squad.

“Being a young player who experienced Test cricket so young, I feel like I had the advantage to know what it’s about, to know what winning a Test match is, and the grind and the grit and attitude that you need … so I was a little bit gutted,” he stated.

“Selection is selection, but I thought that was my way back into the side at the minute.”

Sam Curran has featured in 24 Tests for England from 2018 to 2021, taking 47 wickets and scoring 815 runs.

READ: PCB announces free entry on third, fourth day of first Pakistan-England Test

England Test captain Ben Stokes’ participation in the first Test against Pakistan is doubtful as he is yet to achieve full fitness.

The 33-year-old all-rounder suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers during The Hundred 2024 back in August.

He tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

However, Ben Stokes was named in the squad for the Pakistan tour owing to his progress in recovery. He resumed light batting training in late August and participated in lengthy net sessions in September.

After reaching Pakistan, he batted for around half an hour during England’s first training session in Multan on Friday. He also bowled with a short run-up, but as of now, there is no confirmation of his participation in the first Test.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

England top-order batter Zak Crawley, while talking to media after the first training session, shed light on Stokes’ recovery.

“He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury,” he said. “We don’t know just yet. I think he’s got to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff.”

The three-match series between Pakistan and England will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

Squads:

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: South Africa thump West Indies to script triumphant Women’s T20 World Cup start

LONDON: England Test captain Ben Stokes on Thursday, has been given a green signal to participate in the three-match Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to commence on October 7.

The all-rounder has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024.

Stokes underwent scans on Wednesday, which indicated that he is ‘on track’ to attain match fitness for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

“The results of the scans were positive and confirmed that his recovery, since sustaining the injury six-and-a-half weeks ago, remains on track to participate in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan,” an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said.

England are set to depart for Pakistan on October 1 with the opening Test scheduled to begin on October 7.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Despite being on track to participate in the upcoming series, there are some doubts about whether Ben Stokes would be able to bowl.

“I think that’s you getting ahead of yourself. Obviously I’ve been six-and-a-half weeks now of just walking and doing stuff in the gym,” said Stokes in response to a question regarding the chances of him bowling in the Pakistan Tests.

“There’s a lot more than just my hamstring that I need to get back firing and working up again in terms of bowling, because you use everything, so I need to get that all right to make sure I don’t do any damage to other parts of my body,” he added.

The three-match Test series between Pakistan and England, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), will run from October 7 to 28 with matches scheduled in Multan and Rawalpindi.

For the unversed, this will be England’s second tour of Pakistan in two years. They won the last Test series 3-0 in December 2022.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England squad for Pakistan Test series: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: Pakistan make one addition to squad for first Test against England

England Test captain and dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes is open to once again returning to One-Day Internationals (ODIs) ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year.

Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket during the home series against South Africa in 2022, undid his decision to represent England in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

The defending champions did not fare well in the tournament, suffering an early exit and finishing seventh with six points in nine matches.

Ben Stokes, who was brought out of the ODI retirement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), however, did well with the bat as he scored 304 runs in six appearances at a brilliant average of over 50. He also scored a century in the global event.

The all-rounder has not played an ODI since England’s last ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against Pakistan.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, in his recent interview with Sky Sports, Ben Stokes lauded England’s new talent, currently in action against a five-match ODI series against Australia.

“This white-ball team has gone in a new direction,” said Stokes.

“We’ve seen some unbelievable talent come through, just to point out one: Jacob Bethell, who I think is going to be a superstar.

“I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, I’m very happy and content with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game.”

The all-rounder then went on to share that if he gets a call to represent England in both white-ball teams, he would say “yes”.

“If I am part of the white-ball teams’ plans going forward in any way, shape or form then great,” said Stokes. “If I get the call, saying ‘do you want to come and play?’ It’s definitely going to be a ‘yes’,” said Stokes.

“But I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t because it means someone’s come in and doing really well. I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it,” he concluded.

For the unversed, Ben Stokes is set to undergo a scan for his hamstring injury next week ahead of the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

The star all-rounder is currently nursing a hamstring injury, which he suffered in August during the The Hundred 2024.

READ: Pakistan’s Haris beats England’s Blackwell in second round of British Open

England captain Ben Stokes is set to undergo a scan for his hamstring injury next week ahead of the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

The star all-rounder is currently nursing a hamstring injury, which he suffered in August during the The Hundred 2024.

He was playing for the Northern Superchargers in the tournament when he tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

However, he resumed light batting training in late August. He recently partook in a lengthy net session at Durham’s Chester-le-Street last week and participated in the Celebrity Pro-Am at the PGA Championship golf at Wentworth.

The scan next week will determine Stokes’ fitness level and his ongoing recovery ahead of the first Test against Pakistan, which is set to commence on October 7.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Notably, Ben Stokes was named in England’s 17-member squad for the Test series against Pakistan, however, his participation would be subject to fitness.

Furthermore, left-handed opener Zak Crawley, who is recovering from a thumb injury was also among England’s 17-member squad for the Pakistan Tests.

Crawley sustained the injury while attempting a catch in the last Test of the three-match series against West Indies.

England will tour Pakistan with momentum as the side recently secured series victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka while the Green Shirts succumbed to a new low after losing the two-match home series against Bangladesh 2-0.

England last toured Pakistan in 2022 for a three-match Test series and blew away the home side, securing a whitewash.

England Men’s Test Squad:

Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: Asif Ali aims to earn Pakistan recall with strong Champions Cup display

England Test captain and dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes hinted at the possibility of extending his return to One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year.

Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket during the home series against South Africa in 2022, undid his decision to represent England in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

The defending champions did not fare well in the tournament, suffering an early exit and finishing seventh with six points in nine matches.

Ben Stokes, who was brought out of the ODI retirement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), however, did well with the bat as he scored 304 runs in six appearances at a brilliant average of over 50. He also scored a century in the global event.

The all-rounder has not played an ODI since England’s last ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against Pakistan.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, in his recent interview with The Telegraph, Ben Stokes admitted that it is tough to turn down an opportunity to big events such as the Champions Trophy but asserted that he would be “happy either way”.

“It’s hard to turn down those sort of big events, isn’t it? If I didn’t play another white-ball game, I’ll be very content with how many games I’ve played and what I’ve been able to achieve,” said Stokes.

“I don’t know what the plan is going forward, whether they see me being a part of that or not. I’m sure there’ll be some conversation at some point about that. And I’ll be happy either way,” he added.

Ben Stokes played a vital role in England’s 2019 ODI World Cup triumph. He scored an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand and forced the match into a Super Over before Jofra Archer’s exploits helped England lift their maiden ODI World Cup title by ‘the barest of margins’.

READ: Jos Buttler ruled out of Australia T20Is, new captain named

England Test captain Ben Stokes has expressed hope to achieve full fitness and make a comeback to the team ahead of the upcoming series against Pakistan.

The star all-rounder is currently nursing a hamstring injury, which he suffered during the recently concluded The Hundred 2024.

He was playing for the Northern Superchargers in the tournament when he tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.

However, the 33-year-old all-rounder has resumed light batting training in the nets.

In a video uploaded by the England Cricket Board (ECB), Ben Stokes said that he was still in rehab and decided to stay with the team to be around team physio and doctors.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I’m all good, just slowly progressing,” said Ben Stokes. “Me batting is just scratching an itch. I’m just taking it easy, hitting some balls. It’s still very early days in the rehab period.”

“I want to get back as quick as I possibly can, so being around the medical team here with physio and doctors, I thought that was going to give myself the best chance of getting back sooner rather than later.”

England is scheduled to tour Pakistan for a three-match Test series, commencing on October 7 in Multan. The second Test will be played from October 15 to 19 in Karachi, while Rawalpindi will host the third Test match from October 24-28.

It is pertinent to mention here that the series between Pakistan and England will be part of the ICC Test Championship 2023-2025.

For the unversed, this will be England’s second tour of Pakistan in two years. They won the last Test series 3-0 in December 2022.

READ: Interim England captain Pope to follow Root’s footsteps

Ollie Pope is prepared to “do his own thing” as England Test captain but accepts he is in caretaker charge of what is still effectively Ben Stokes’s side.

Pope will become the 82nd man to take up the captaincy when he leads England out in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford starting Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Surrey batsman was promoted from vice-captain after Stokes was ruled out after suffering a torn hamstring playing in the Hundred.

Stokes is set to miss the three-match series against Sri Lanka. Ollie Pope’s elevation caps a rapid rise for a cricketer who was not certain of his place when Ben Stokes took charge two years ago alongside coach Brendon McCullum.

Stokes first led England, in 2020, deputising for father-to-be Joe Root who left a message reading “do it your own way”.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Ollie Pope has no qualms about sticking with the basic ‘Bazball’ approach and will also be able to call directly on Stokes, who will be with the England squad for all three Tests.

“It’s a great opportunity for me, one of the greatest honours in English cricket,” Pope told a pre-match press conference at Old Trafford on Tuesday. “But I think it’s still Stokesy’s team.

“That’s probably the difference. I’ve had no message in my locker but I’m sat next to him in the changing room!

“It’s going to be great to have him around. If I want to lean on him, I can lean on him and I think he’s going to let me do my own thing for the course of this Test series as well.

“I’ve picked his brains a little bit on that moving forward. It’s a lot of the same messages but from a different voice and in my own way.

“He’s obviously going to be watching, chatting, so I can have those conversations in the intervals if I think anything needs to change and we can bounce a few ideas off each other.

“We’ve got some great coaches and obviously he’s just another brain in the changing room.”

READ: Steve Smith breaks silence over retirement plans

England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) named Ollie Pope as the skipper.

Stokes suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s fixture of The Hundred between Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers.

The all-rounder, who bats as an opener for the Superchargers, sprinted for a quick single in the early phase of the run chase and suffered the injury after completing the run.

He was then carried off the field by the medical staff and looked in extreme discomfort.

After his side’s triumph, Ben Stokes was seen using crutches and the Superchargers affirmed that the star all-rounder may have suffered a hamstring issue, which puts his participation in England’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka in jeopardy.

As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Ben Stokes will miss England’s three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August.

He will be replaced by vice-captain Ollie Pope as England’s Test captain for the upcoming series.

“Surrey batter Ollie Pope will captain the side against Sri Lanka in Stokes’ absence and England will not be adding to the squad ahead of team meeting up next week in Manchester,” stated ECB.

Sri Lanka Squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vc), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.

England Squad: Ollie Pope (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

READ: England legend appointed as Sri Lanka’s batting coach