Ben Stokes out of England squad for opening Test against Pakistan, Brydon Carse included in team
Updated 05/10/2024 at 16:14 GMT+1
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England will have to wait a little bit longer for the return of their captain, Ben Stokes. The 33-year-old star is out of England's opening Test against Pakistan after failing to recover from a torn hamstring sustained over the summer. Ollie Pope will captain England in his place, while Brydon Carse is set to make his debut in Multan on Monday when the series begins.
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Ben Stokes is out of England's opening Test against Pakistan on Monday after failing to recover from a hamstring injury.
The England captain suffered the injury while representing the Northern Superchargers during their match against the Manchester Originals in The Hundred in August.
England will play the first of three Tests against Pakistan in Multan, with the second set to begin on October 15 and the third scheduled to start on October 24.
Stokes insists he is now targeting a return in the second Test.
“I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this first game, but I’ve taken the call to miss this one,” Stokes told The Guardian. "I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready.
"I’ve got a good 10 days to try and get myself ready for the second.
"Looking at the bigger picture around what we’ve got coming up and physically where I’m at with my rehab, I’m not quite ready to play.
“I’ve had to push myself incredibly hard, work really hard with the medical team, to get to where we are now.
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“I think I’m further ahead than what we expected today, and I’ll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try and give myself a chance of being fit for the second Test.”
Brydon Carse is in line to make his Test debut in the clash with Pakistan, while Ollie Pope will captain the side in Stokes' absence.
Joe Root believes Carse has the ability to make something happen with ball in hand.
“He’s a wicket-taker," he said. "You’ve seen it in white-ball cricket, you’ve seen it for Durham.
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"He’s got those balls in him that out of nowhere, on the flattest of wickets, can make something happen.
“That’s really exciting, when you’ve got someone like that within your squad that can potentially turn the game in a matter of moments, and he can bat as well.
"I think he offers a huge amount to the squad.”
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