by Ben Stokes will miss the rest of the English summer after tearing his left thigh during a game at the Hundred.
Stokes sustained the injury while batting for the Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals on Sunday, leading to scans on Tuesday and forcing the all-rounder out of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Old Trafford next week. In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said the Test captain was “aiming a return” for the tour of Pakistan in October.
Stokes’ absence from the Sri Lanka series means vice-captain Ollie Pope will lead his country in an international match for the first time. Pope was withdrawn from his own Hundred duties for London Spirit by the ECB on Tuesday as he prepares to become the captain of England’s 82nd men’s Test team.
Stokes will not be replaced in the squad for the match against Sri Lanka, which could result in Chris Woakes batting at No. 7 as England’s main all-rounder, with Jamie Smith moving to No. 6. Woakes averages 70.25 in six Test innings at No. 7, thanks to a run-out hundred against India in 2018 and an unbeaten fourth-innings run of 84 against Pakistan two years later.
The 35-year-old has not yet played in the Hundred this season and was withdrawn from the competition by the ECB on Monday “due to the management of his workload,” his team Birmingham Phoenix announced.
Jordan Cox could make his Test debut if England opt for a four-man bowling attack instead. The Essex right-hander was named as a reserve batsman in the original 14-man squad, with Surrey’s Dan Lawrence taking the opening position in the absence of the injured Zak Crawley.
Stokes’ injury shock comes shortly after he returned to duties as an all-rounder. Having struggled with a long-standing knee problem last year which severely limited his bowling, November surgery was followed by promising returns with the ball this summer. Stokes took 18 wickets in three County Championship matches for Durham and looked good when he took five more in the series win over West Indies, but his progress was halted after he retired on a quick single at the weekend.
England will be hoping Stokes will return for a three-Test tour of Pakistan, as his captaincy was instrumental in their 3-0 series win there in 2022. This was most notably on a flat pitch in Rawalpindi, where his side conceded twice before taking the final wicket on the final day. The first Test begins in Multan on October 7.
Pope has been working on the captaincy since he was officially appointed deputy early last summer. The 26-year-old has led Surrey once in first-class cricket, scoring 274 in a draw with Glamorgan in 2021, and captained the county in the T20 Blast earlier this summer.
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Pope’s year has been a mixed bag, a masterpiece of 196 against India in January followed by a best of 39 in his next eight innings. But the No. 3 returned to form against the West Indies, with three 50+ scores, including his sixth Test hundred, five of which came after Stokes was appointed Test captain two years ago. Pope has spoken in awe of the incumbent’s influence. Now it’s his turn.
Sri Lanka have announced former England batsman Ian Bell as their batting coach for the three Test matches. The 42-year-old, who played 118 Tests between 2004 and 2015, was part of New Zealand’s backroom team when the team visited England last summer for a white-ball tour ahead of the 50-over World Cup.
“We have appointed Ian to bring in someone with local knowledge who can help the players with important insights into the conditions there,” said Ashley de Silva, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Cricket.
England’s series against Sri Lanka begins on August 21 in Manchester, with the following two Tests at Lord’s and the Oval.
