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England’s red-ball captain, Ben Stokes on Sunday, October 6 opened up on missing the first Test of the three-match series against Pakistan. Speaking with Sky Sports, Stokes revealed that he tried “his hardest to get himself fit” for the opening Test, but he continues to struggle to recover from the torn hamstring.
Speaking of Stokes’ injury, he sustained the hamstring injury during The Hundred in August 2024. With Stokes being ruled out thereafter, wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Pope led the side to 2-1 victory against Sri Lanka, last month. However, he continues to lead the side in the first Test against Pakistan in absence of Stokes.
I’m not quite ready to play: Ben Stokes ahead of Pakistan Tests
Speaking ahead of the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan, the England all-rounder clarified that he tried his best to get fit, but there still remains a lot to go into his rehabilitation. "I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this first game but I've taken the call to miss this one. I've not quite managed to get game-ready. There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the bigger picture of what we've got coming up and physically where I'm at, I'm not quite ready to play," Stokes said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
The 33-year-old added that however it is frustrating to miss out on the game, but he will aim to get ready for the second if all goes well. "It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing I've got a goal in mind. I've got a good 10 days to get myself ready for the second," he added.
It is to be noted that the first Test is underway at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. The hosts, Shan Masood-led Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. At the time of writing, the Men in Green’s scoreboard read 78/1 after 17 overs with Abdullah Shafique (35 off 57) and skipper, Shan Masood (37 off 35) batting in the middle. Opener Saim Ayub had a forgettable day as he departed at the score of 4 off 10 deliveries just at the start of the game.
