Ben Stokes out of Sri Lanka series with Ollie Pope to captain England
An ECB statement said: “As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England’s three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka.
“The all-rounder is aiming to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October.”
At this point, England have not added a replacement to their squad, which has 13 members. They will need to decide whether to promote Chris Woakes to No 7 and play an extra seamer such as Matt Potts or Olly Stone, or to throw the Essex batsman Jordan Cox in for an international debut at No 6. Either way, Stokes’s absence will leave them short of batting or bowling.
Against Sri Lanka, England are already missing opener Zak Crawley with a broken finger, meaning Dan Lawrence steps in to open the batting, playing his first Test since March 2022. Seamer Dillon Pennington, who went unused in the 3-0 win over West Indies, has also been ruled out injured, while Jofra Archer is a long-term Test absentee.
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