England‘s red-ball captain Ben Stokes had not fully recovered from his hamstring injury ahead of the three-match series against Pakistan. He had been injured in the 2024 Hundred while playing for the Northern Superchargers and missed the home series against Sri Lanka.
Although Stokes was named captain for the Pakistan series, he may not participate in the first Test in Multan starting October 7. Opening batter Zak Crawley noted that Stokes needs to complete additional tests before being deemed match-fit.
More importantly, The Independent reported that Stokes appeared far from well while netting and bowling with less force.
In Stokes’s absence, vice-captain Ollie Pope will captain the team as well. Pope had led England to an away win of a 2-1 series at home over Sri Lanka recently, but criticism has rained over him due to his cautious approach, and how it impacted his batting.
“I think he’s got to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff. He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury, (but) we don’t know just yet.”
”We feel ready, whatever team comes out it will be a nice balance either way. We’ve got a really deep squad with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well,” Crawley told media ahead of the first Test.
During England’s last tour of Pakistan, it was Stokes’ first overseas assignment as Test captain, where he led the team to a commanding 3-0 series victory.
“I couldn’t pick up a bat for five weeks” – Zak Crawley on being sidelined for the latter part of the English summer alongside Ben Stokes
Zak Crawley discussed his recovery from a finger injury he sustained while fielding in the slips against the West Indies. He missed the Sri Lanka series, which led England to bring in Dan Lawrence as a temporary opening batter.
“I feel brand new. I’m looking forward to getting out there. I couldn’t pick up a bat for five weeks. I’ve certainly missed it, so I can’t wait to get out there again with the boys. It was a nasty break at the time but I’ve recovered well and I don’t feel it at all while I’m batting,” Crawley said.
“I won’t go at slip, just from advice from the doctor, but I feel like I could. I’m trying to rest it but I did a few catches and it feels fine. I’m just trying to follow the professional advice,” he added.
England enters this series after a successful home season, winning five out of six matches, with their only defeat coming against Sri Lanka at The Oval.
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