England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the remainder of the Summer due to a hamstring injury, the England Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday, August 13.
"England Men's Test Captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday," ECB wrote in a statement.
Stokes will now miss the remainder of the upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 21. There is no addition to the squad. In his absence, Ollie Pope will be leading the team.
"As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England's three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August. There will be no addition to the squad for this series. England batter Ollie Pope will captain the side in Ben’s absence," the board added.
It also listed a likely return series for the England skipper. "The all-rounder is aiming to return for England's winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi," the statement added.
Ian Bell named batting coach of Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, former English batter Ian Bell was named the batting coach of Sri Lanka for the series against England. "Sri Lanka Cricket appointed former England batsman Ian Bell as the ‘Batting Coach’ of the national team for the ongoing tour. He will start working with the team on August 16th and remain until the conclusion of the three-test match series," SLC confirmed in a statement.
Sri Lanka cricket's CEO Ashley de Silva highlighted that the appointment is a strategic move to attain local knowledge for the tour of England. "We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there. Ian has a lot of experience playing in England, and we believe his input will help our team in this crucial tour,” said Mr Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket.
