Hamstring tear rules Ben Stokes out of Sri Lanka Tests

In a big blow to the England Test side, skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the ongoing Hundred competition. 

Ollie Pope, who’s the vice-captain of the Test side, will be captaining the side in his absence. Meanwhile, no replacement has been announced for Stokes. It is understood that Stokes will try to return to action during England’s tour to Pakistan in October. 

Stokes was completing a run during the Northern Superchargers's second innings against Manchester Originals, and he abruptly stopped, clutching his left leg. He couldn’t walk off the field independently and had to be supported by the support staff, who took him to the dressing room. Later, he was walking on crutches after the game. Scans confirmed later that it was indeed a hamstring tear. 

Stokes’ absence from the series is a big blow to England, who are already depleted with Zak Crawley being out of the series after breaking his finger during England’s series against the West Indies. Dan Lawrence was slotted in as his replacement and is due to open the innings for England. 

England don’t have a replacement for Stokes in the squad, considering his all-round credentials. Jordan Cox, the only extra batter in the squad, might come in as a potential batting replacement at six. The other option is to play Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes at numbers six and seven, and either Matthew Potts or Olly Stone can come in as an extra pacer to balance the side. 

The Sri Lanka tour of England begins August 21 in Manchester.

Updated England squad: Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope ( c ), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Shoaib Bashir, Olly Stone, Mark Wood