England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the first Test match against Pakistan due to his ongoing hamstring injury.
The all-rounder announced his unavailability for the forthcoming series after realising during the training session in Multan that he still needs more rest.
Previously, Stokes had suffered a hamstring injury in the Hundred League and despite putting a lot of efforts to recover, he has been unable to recover.
In regard to this, Ollie Pope will be leading the team as a stand-in captain in the upcoming match.
Pope will take on the lead as England look to kick off their tour of Pakistan on a strong note.
Meanwhile, James Anderson, is not accompanying the team on their tour of Pakistan, as he is participating in the Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Despite his absence, the 42-year-old is sharing his invaluable experience with the team’s bowlers via WhatsApp.
It is worth noting that the first Test match is scheduled to take place on October 7 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Schedule:
Oct 7-11 – First Test, Multan
Oct 15-19 – Second Test, Multan
Oct 24-28 – Third Test, Rawalpindi
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.- Ben Stokes
