Since the freak injury playing for the Northern Superchargers during the Hundred 2024, the designated red-ball captain for England, Ben Stokes, has been out of action with an injury, as Ollie Pope led them for the three Test matches at home against Sri Lanka before repeating the same against Pakistan in Multan for the opening of the three-match Test series.
Ben Stokes featured in all three Test matches against West Indies towards the start of the summer before the injury ruled him out of the contest. He was seen to be batting in the net in Manchester and South London, but the team management, perhaps, was waiting for his bowling fitness.
For the entire opening Test match of the series, the all-rounder was seen, practicing in the nets besides sharing the time with the on-field players from the sideline. The veteran touched on how close he was to playing the first Test match, but a week’s extended break has given him a vital break to recovery.
Ben Stokes could replace Chris Woakes for the second Multan Test
On Sunday morning, the designated England captain was seen to be practicing with the ball in full flow and high speed, which indicated that he could make his return back in the squad in place of the pace-bowling all-rounder, 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. He will be assessed after today, and a decision will be made on his availability over the next 24 hours.” The spokesperson was quoted as saying by AFP.
The trend says that the England side generally announces their team two days before the Test match, but this time decided to wait until getting the full fitness report of the all-rounder.
In his absence, the Ollie Pope-led side did a tremendous job as they posted over 800 runs in their lone innings with the bat, in a reply of 556 in the first innings, and went on to register a victory by an innings margin at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Woakes played the last Test as his first away red-ball game in more than two years, whereas it was also his first game of the format in Asia since 2016. He bowled 23 overs in the first innings to pick up the lonely wicket of Babar Azam. In the second innings, he bowled 12 overs and picked up the very first wicket of Abdullah Shafique.
Having bowled these many overs under the heat, he could be given a break between two Test matches. James Anderson, England’s bowling consultant, James Anderson, has provided a massive update on Ben Stokes and whether he would be prepared for the second Test.
“He looks great. He has worked hard on his fitness and is looking as strong as I’ve ever seen him. Knowing Ben, once he gets into the game, there will be no stopping him. He’s just that sort of player. He’s good to go- we’ll just have to wait and see what he can do in the game.” The veteran pacer highlighted.
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With the inclusion of Ben Stokes, the management can look to have three spinners on the side and use the all-rounder as the third seamer on the side.
“That’s a first for me in Test cricket. When we’re talking about Ben’s workloads and his bowling, it might play into our hands with that, with the spinners potentially playing more of a part. We don’t know what we’re going to get.” Anderson concluded.