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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.
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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.
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