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England Test captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return to action in the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
Stokes 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.
An England team spokesman said that Stokes practised with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.
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“Ben [Stokes] bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high-intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.
“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”
England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan announced their squad for the remaining two matches of the series. Star batter Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed as well as pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have been dropped.
Squads:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.
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.
READ: Fakhar Zaman defends Babar Azam after England Tests snub
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