Ben Stokes confident in England despite losing fitness battle for opening Test vs Pakistan

Injured captain will miss England’s opening Test against but is confident his side will not buckle in the sweltering heat of Multan.

Stokes has lost his battle to be passed fit for Monday’s clash, with his recovery from a badly-torn hamstring not yet complete and will continue to maintain the watching brief he occupied during the recent series against Sri Lanka. Ollie Pope will continue to lead in his absence, with Durham seamer Brydon Carse making his debut in a five-man attack that will need to show plenty of resolve under the Punjabi sun.

The temperature hit 37 degrees during training session on Saturday and energy-sapping conditions will be a major challenge for the tourists, who touched down less than a week ago.

Things will be particularly demanding for pace bowlers Carse, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson, who should have plenty to do on a green-tinged pitch designed to favour the quicks, but Stokes insists they have the necessary steel.

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“We know they will be able to withstand that heat,” he said. “It’s going to be tough but everyone knows how much it means to us to play for England and there will be no shying away from what Popey asks them to do this week even if it is hot and they are a bit tired, because that is what you do for the team.

“I think it is really exciting for the lads to come out here and be exposed to these conditions for the first time. It will show them how hard Test can be.

“It’s tough anyway but coming to the sub-continent when it’s in the high 30s and low 40s takes character and we have a lot of characters in our dressing room who will be willing to stand up to the challenge of playing Test cricket out here.”

Stokes confirmed he recently signed a new central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board, believed to be a two-year deal encompassing next winter’s Ashes, underlining his long-term commitment to the cause. More immediately, he was forced to take himself out of the firing line after failing to recover sufficiently from his recent injury trouble.

“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,” he said. “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 where I’m at physically, I’m not quite ready to play.

“I’ve pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I’m at now. I think I’m further ahead than we expected. I’ve got a good 10 days now to get myself ready for the second Test.”

England were 3-0 winners on their previous tour of Pakistan in 2022, a resounding success in Stokes’ first overseas assignment as skipper. His leadership earned rave reviews as he continually found inventive ways to push the game forward – a role that now falls to Pope.

“Another 3-0 would be nice. That’s definitely what we will be going for,” said Stokes. “On that last tour we felt like we were always trying to do something to force a result even if it meant potentially giving Pakistan a sniff of winning the game. We were prepared to lose a Test match to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

“Ollie has got that experience from being part of the squad last time so I am sure he will take some of the tactics I used on the last tour. If he wants to have a chat with me then that I will do that but for me, it is just leaving him to his own devices.

“I’m sure at some point I will want to say something to him but I will only do it if I think something is worth saying. I don’t want to say things for the sake of it.”

Monday’s game marks Jack Leach’s first Test appearance since January as he links up with Somerset colleague Shoaib Bashir for the first time, while Chris Woakes lines up for his first overseas outing in two-and-a-half years.