PAK vs ENG 2024: England captain Ben Stokes discusses reason for missing first Test

Ben Stokes, the red-ball captain for England, will be absent from the first Test match against Pakistan, which begins on October 7. The all-rounder will now miss the opening Test against the Shan Masood-led team in Multan after missing the series against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring issue. Ollie Pope, who captained the team in England’s 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka, will take over in his absence.

Although Ben Stokes did his best to become fit before the first Test, he still isn’t quite ready for action.

Taking the big picture into consideration, he skipped the first Test, noting that his body is not now ready to return to international cricket. Furthermore, he expressed his frustration at having to sit out, but in the interim, he is prepared to put in a lot of effort over the next ten days in order to be prepared for the second Test.

“Despite my best efforts, I have decided to miss this game, but I was fit enough for the first one. I’m still not quite ready for the game. My rehabilitation program requires a lot of work. We’re not quite ready to play, but considering the wider picture of what’s ahead of us and my current physical condition, we reached a certain threshold, Stokes was cited by Sky Sports as saying.

“Missing anything is always annoying. I have a goal in mind even though I’m not playing since I have some positive things to concentrate on. “I have approximately ten days to prepare myself for the second,” he continued.

The playing eleven for the first Test has already been revealed by England. Due to an elbow injury, Mark Wood is now sidelined, therefore pacer Brydon Carse is expected to make his debut.

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In contrast, Carse has participated in 48 first-class matches and amassed 123 wickets at a 33.78 average. Conversely, though, Ben Duckett will be returning. His finger ailment kept him out of the Sri Lanka series.