England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes has been sidelined for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring during a clash at The Hundred Mens Competition 2024. As a result, he has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. England’s vice-captain in Tests, Ollie Pope has been appointed as the new skipper and will take over from Stokes.
ECB has clearly stated that there will not be any replacement for Stokes in the squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts from August 21. Stokes is hoping to comeback into the England Test team during the tour of Pakistan in October.
How did Ben Stokes get injured?
Ben Stokes opened the batting for Northern Superchargers in the 27th match of The Hundred Mens Competition 2024 on Sunday. In pursuit of a 153-run target, the Superchargers lost Mathew Short in the 7th ball of the innings.
They dealt with a bigger blow as Ben Stokes pulled his hamstring while trying to sneak a single. Stokes threw the helmet away in disgust as he fell down on the ground. Later, he was seen in the dugout with crutches.
The scans on Monday confirmed that he had a hamstring tear and will have to be sidelined for two months at least.
“England Men’s Test Captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday. As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England’s three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August. There will be no addition to the squad for this series,” the ECB statement said.
The three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka begins on 21st August 2024. The first Test is slated to take place at Emirates Old Trafford ground, followed by second and third Test at Lord’s and Kennington Oval in London, respectively.
