Ben Stokes ruled out, Ollie Pope to lead England in Test series against Sri Lanka

England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the team’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. The all-rounder sustained an injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in the ongoing Men’s Hundred League. The update about Stokes’ injury was announced on Tuesday, after which the English skipper was seen on crutches. Recent reports reveal that Stokes has sustained a tear in his left hamstring, effectively ruling him out of England’s home series against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, top-order batter Ollie Pope has been assigned the duty of leading the team against Pakistan in Stokes' absence.

Ollie Pope Announced As England Captain For Test Series Against Sri Lanka

Ben Stokes injured his left leg while playing for the Northern Superchargers against the Manchester Originals in The Hundred league on Sunday. The all-rounder was attempting a quick single during the chase against Manchester when he fell to the ground, clutching his left leg. The English Test skipper eventually had to be helped off the field and into the team dugout. On Tuesday, it was reported that Stokes had torn his left hamstring in the match.

The ECB has now provided an update on the new team formation following Stokes' absence. Ollie Pope, who has served as vice-captain to Stokes in Tests for over a year, will assume the captaincy for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour of England, which begins on August 21. The English Board has also withdrawn Pope from the ongoing Hundred league, along with pacer Chris Woakes. Additionally, the ECB stated that Stokes is likely to return to the Test squad for England’s tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start on October 8 in Multan.

“The all-rounder is aiming to return for England's winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi,” read the official announcement by the ECB.

Moreover, the board announced that no addition will be made to the England squad for the home series against Sri Lanka in place of Ben Stokes. “There will be no addition to the squad for this series,” the statement said.

England Squad for the Test Series Against Sri Lanka: 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.