England Test captain Ben Stokes will miss the three-Test series against Sri Lanka and the rest of The Hundred after tearing his left hamstring while batting for Northern Superchargers’ win over Manchester Originals on Sunday.
The 33-year-old was helped from the field at Old Trafford and hopes to return when England’s three-Test tour of Pakistan starts on October 7.
All-rounder Stokes had surgery on his left knee in January and helped England beat West Indies 3-0 last month, including five wickets across the Tests and a half-century in 24 balls.
“Everyone wants Ben Stokes to play in every format” 🏏
Nasser Hussain reacts to the news that Stokes will miss the remainder of the English summer with a hamstring injury 🤕 PIC.TWITTER.COM/CBWBMTFJEI
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) AUGUST 13, 2024
England vs Sri Lanka: Stokes out
Vice-captain Ollie Pope will lead England for the first time in Stokes’ absence, with Zak Crawley also out because of a fractured finger.
Former England captain Michael Atherton called Stokes’ absence “desperate news for him and bad news for the England team”.
“Ben Stokes is a cricketer with a pretty high pain threshold, so to see him having to be helped off the field and stretchered up to the dressing room, you felt that was his season done,” Atherton told Sky Sports.
“He’s the captain, he’s the leader; he’s the man who has really redefined what this England team is all about in the last two years or so.
“This season, he has got himself back to being the genuine all-round cricketer that we know he can be. He got himself fit, he got over that knee operation.
“There are no other cricketers like him. There are all-rounders, but none of his calibre. [England have] said, ‘we’ll stick with what we’ve got’.
“Their option is to play the extra batter in Jordan Cox or bring in an extra seamer like Olly Stone and go with a slightly longer tail.”
Surrey’s Ollie Pope will captain the England Test side as Ben Stokes is ruled out for the rest of the summer with injury.
Congratulations, Popey!
🤎 | #SurreyCricket PIC.TWITTER.COM/YZEYVNNMIN
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) AUGUST 13, 2024
The Hundred: Dwarshuis steps in
Australian Ben Dwarshuis will replace Stokes for the Superchargers’ final group match against London Spirit on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old left-hander will also deputise for the team’s potential knockout-stage campaign.
