Ben Stokes, the captain of England, will undergo a hamstring scan the following week to assess his level of fitness for the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan. Despite being out of commission since August owing to an injury, the 33-year-old all-round player is still participating in his training.
In order to determine whether England captain Ben Stokes is healthy for the forthcoming three-match Test series against Pakistan, the team has scheduled a scan for Stokes’ hamstring strain for next week. The all-rounder, 33, sustained the injury early in August, which prevented him from playing in England’s 2-1 series defeat to Sri Lanka.
Stokes has not played since the injury, but he has continued to participate in training, which included a noteworthy net session at Chester-le-Street in Durham. He recently showed signs of a gradual return to physical exercise by taking part in the Celebrity Pro-Am at the PGA Championship golf event at Wentworth.
The scan is not the result of any recent setbacks; rather, it is part of routine monitoring while he recovers. The England team wants to make sure that Stokes heals completely and doesn’t rush back. On October 7, the first Test matchup with Pakistan is slated to start.
When it comes to his return to fitness, Stokes is proceeding cautiously, as he stated earlier this month: “I’d rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse and then taking a longer break from the game.”
Stokes is one of the 17 players in the team that will depart for Pakistan on October 1. But Ollie Pope is poised to take over as captain if he is unable to play in the opening Test.
England may have a selection problem with Stokes’ possible availability, especially if he is limited to batting. As a result, the team could have to rearrange their top order, which might force him into the top five and push out a typical top-order batsman. Alternatively, England can go with Joe Root’s occasional spin to create a four-bowler attack, something they did earlier this year when Stokes’ knee injury prevented him from bowling.
The exact locations for the three-Test series remain unclear in the interim. Due to development in Karachi, there may be adjustments to the original schedule, which was originally scheduled for Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi. Though there had been talk of moving some Test matches to the United Arab Emirates, it now seems likely that all three will stay in Pakistan.
