ENG vs IND 2025: Marcus Trescothick reveals why Ben Stokes didn’t bowl on Day 4 in Manchester

England are hoping that skipper Ben Stokes will recover from cramping in time to lead the bowling attack on the last day of the Manchester Test. Stokes made an outstanding performance on Day 4 at Old Trafford, striking a commanding century after taking five wickets in India’s first innings.

On Day 3, while batting alongside Joe Root, Stokes developed cramping and had to leave the pitch temporarily. However, he recovered later in the innings and scored an outstanding 141. Despite his heroics with the bat, the right-arm bowler did not bowl during England’s 62-over second innings against India. Marcus Trescothick, the assistant coach, expressed optimism that Stokes would recover fully and contribute with the ball on Day 5 of the fourth Test.

“He’s stiff and sore. He’s had a heavy workload in recent weeks, and when he batted in the first innings, he developed cramps. “We are hoping that with another night’s rest and a little more physio work overnight, he’ll be back and doing a bit tomorrow,” said Trescothick.

Stokes ended a two-year drought of Test centuries with a dominant knock at Old Trafford, cementing his place among the legends. He became only the third cricketer in Test history, after Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis, to score over 7,000 runs and claim 200 wickets.

While concerns emerged after Stokes suffered cramping during his innings, Trescothick dismissed any major injury concerns. The physical strain reflects the all-rounder’s hard exertion, particularly given his long periods on the final day of the Lord’s Test.

“It’s simply a buildup. It’s a huge workload, from where he’s been to what he’s doing. It’s just trying to keep an eye on it, and obviously the cramp he had yesterday causes you to be concerned… “We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” said Trescothick.

If not Ben Stokes, others will step up: Trescothick

The former England cricketer acknowledged that if Stokes is unable to bowl on the final day, the rest of the team will step up to deliver. Stokes has already shouldered a significant workload in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, having bowled 129 overs across the four Tests so far.

“Well, of course, you know, you take anybody out of a four-man attack or five-man attack, it creates a hole. And when you’re trying to push for victory on a pitch that is, you know, quite tricky and gets quite slow after the ball gets older. You know, let’s not forget, he got five wickets in the first innings as well,” said Trescothick.

“So, of course, it’s challenging. And it’s never great when bowlers go down or, you don’t have someone available to do the work you need to do. It’s then just up to everybody else to sort of pick up pieces and do the extra workload. You’ll probably see Joe Root bowl a little bit more if he’s not available. But let’s just wait and see. Hopefully, fingers crossed, it’ll be all OK by tomorrow,” he added.

Ben Stokes need to be managed delicately: Trescothick

Trescothick suggested that resting Stokes from bowling on Day 4 may have been a strategic move by England to preserve him for the final day, though he admitted he was not privy to all the details behind the decision. Notably, Stokes remained on the field throughout, likely to avoid the delay that would have come with waiting to bowl had he spent time off the field. Trescothick also admitted that managing a player like Stokes requires a delicate balance, given his relentless drive to contribute in every facet of the game, whether with the bat, ball, or in the field.

“He loves bowling, he loves batting, he loves diving around in the field, sprinting and doing everything he can do. He is that person who just wants to be involved in the game all the time. And of course, as anybody progresses in their career, they pick up little niggles or injuries that may be a little bit more prone as you go along. So, you have to manage everybody as they get a little bit longer in the tooth. And him, no different because of his impact obviously being captain of the team, you want him playing as many games as possible,” said Trescothick.

“So, of course, if we can somehow find a way to limit the amount of overs he bowls in particular, then, of course, we have done. And maybe we’ve seen it at different stages throughout this series already where he hasn’t necessarily bowled those mammoth spells like he did in previous times.

I know at Lord’s he did over the course of in-between days and either side of tea or whatever it may be. But if you find a way, if we can find a way, then, of course, it will benefit. The more games he can string together as a captain and as a leader in the group and the all-rounder he is, the better that’s going to be for the team, of course,” he concluded.