Ben Stokes Ruled Out of England Summer Due to Hamstring Injury

Ben Stokes is out for the rest of the English summer after tearing his hamstring during The Hundred. Ollie Pope will captain the team against Sri Lanka in his absence. Stokes aims to regain fitness for the Pakistan tour.

A significant hamstring tear in the left leg of Ben Stokes has sidelined him for the remainder of the English summer. The injury, sustained during The Hundred, means Stokes will miss England's two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 21. England has not named a replacement for him.

Ollie Pope will step in as captain for the Test series, according to the ICC. Stokes was seen using crutches after playing for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Stokes aims to be fully fit in time for England's tour of Pakistan in early October, where they are scheduled to play three Test matches.

Stokes had previously undergone knee surgery in November 2023, which initially restricted his role to merely batting. Upon regaining full fitness, he resumed bowling and participated in series against India and the West Indies this year. England, currently 6th in the World Test Championship standings, completed a 3-0 series sweep against the Windies and hopes to maintain their momentum against Sri Lanka.

The squad for the Sri Lanka series includes Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.