Ben Stokes, the captain of England and their best all-round player, will not play in the final Test match against India due to a shoulder injury. In the third and fourth Test matches of this series, the in-form player’s all-around performance earned him Player of the Match. Ollie Pope will captain the team in place of him when they play India at The Oval in London on Thursday, July 31.
The pacers Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and spinner Liam Dawson were also left off of the eleven that drew with India in Manchester. In addition to Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell has been added to the team and is slated to start at number six.
England’s XI:
Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
When India batted for 143 overs over five sessions in the final innings to draw the Test, Ben Stokes had a lengthy bowling stint. During the session, Stokes was clearly gripping his right shoulder and had bowled 35 overs in both innings.
The depth of Stokes’ injuries and the challenging decision-making process were disclosed. During the news conference held on the eve of the fifth Test.
“I don’t know how to phrase it; therefore, I can’t state that I have a good rip in one of my muscles. We took as much time as possible to decide on that. When you discover what you’ve done, there is undoubtedly some emotion involved. To give myself every chance, I came down here this morning. As soon as we received the scan findings. Bowling was obviously ruled out for the sake of playing as a hitter.
Ben Stokes
However, I believe that in order to really understand the decision we made. You need to spend that time talking with the medical staff and Baz [Brendon McCullum]. Before spending nearly twenty minutes alone outside in the middle of the morning. Yes, it’s one of those situations where you have to balance the risks and rewards. The risk was simply too great to cause any more harm than what has already been done. “With an injury like this, I wouldn’t expect to put anyone else, any of my other players, at risk,” Stokes added.
Stokes recognized that long-term fitness must take precedence above immediate rewards, even if he was a competitive person. “My goal when I’m on the pitch is to win. I give it my all, all within my power. In a game, I believe there comes a point at which I must set aside all of my emotions, and I will. It’s because I value this team, playing for England, and winning above all else. But I couldn’t have done anything at all earlier. As a professional athlete, injuries are inevitable, and there is nothing I can do about it.
Now that the Ashes series is starting in November. Ben Stokes is going to focus on getting well.
I must begin my recovery immediately and, of course, concentrate on our upcoming winter plans. It’s clear that I’m disappointed. But I simply needed a little more time to decide than I usually give such matters. We can choose from a very good and powerful roster to put a side out. There that we believe can win this week, which helps.
The Headingley Test and the match at Lord’s were won by the hosts. Who now lead the series 2-1. Their loss was at Edgbaston.
