Ten days before the first Test match against Sri Lanka, the captain of England hobbles off the pitch.
Ben Stokes, who left the Northern Superchargers game in the Hundred on Sunday night because to a hamstring injury, is a serious doubt for England’s opening Test match against Sri Lanka. He is scheduled for a scan on Monday, which suggests he won’t be playing in the three Test matches.
He spent the night on crutches, and on Sunday night, medical personnel were evaluating him. “It doesn’t look great, unfortunately,” England teammate Harry Brook of the Superchargers remarked following their victory over Manchester Originals at Emirates Old Trafford. “I think he’ll be getting a scan tomorrow and we’ll see how he is.”
Early in the Superchargers’ pursuit, Stokes broke through for a fast single but was hurt when he finished the run. He was observed holding his left hamstring as their medical personnel assisted him off the field. When his Superchargers teammate Ollie Robinson tried a scoop that he mistimed into the leg side, he was at the non-striker’s end and scrambled through for a single.
As he made his ground, he seemed to tear a muscle, fell to the ground, and angrily pulled off his gloves. James Pipe, a physiotherapist, and strength and conditioning coach Harry Booker hurried over to start treating. Stokes was taken toward an ambulance on a stretcher after Booker and Pipe guided him back to the Superchargers dugout while bearing his weight.
An hour or so later, Nicholas Pooran grabbed a seven-wicket victory with an innings off of 66 not out, forcing Stokes to use crutches when he shook hands with the Originals team. “Ben Stokes is having his hamstring assessed. Further updates will be available from tomorrow [Monday],” a Superchargers representative stated.
Stokes’ prospects of participating in the first Test, which begins in Manchester on August 21, are seriously jeopardized by the injury. Throughout the second part of his international career, he has battled a persistent left knee problem; but, early this year, following surgery over the English winter, he resumed bowling.
In the Hundred between England’s series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, Stokes was scheduled to play four group-stage matches. Should the Superchargers get to the knockout rounds, Stokes could be able to stay with them. In his debut, he was bowled out by Tim Southee on the first delivery. On Thursday, in a match that was abandoned due to rain in Cardiff, he managed to score two runs off of four balls. It now seems as though he will miss their last group encounter on Tuesday against London Spirit.
Due to a broken finger, Zak Crawley will already be absent for England in the Sri Lanka series. In his place, Dan Lawrence is expected to begin the batting; last week, they brought up Jordan Cox to provide batting cover. In the unlikely event that Stokes is sidelined, Ollie Pope, their deputy captain, is the overwhelming favorite to captain England for the first time in international cricket.
There are just two three-day breaks in between Tests in the Sri Lanka series, which is crammed into a tight schedule. After that, England is scheduled to go to Pakistan in early October in advance of a three-match series that begins on October 7 in Multan.
