BREAKING NEWS Ben Stokes will MISS England's first Test against Pakistan as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury - as Ollie Pope steps up as stand-in captain in his absence Ben Stokes' absence from the first Test against Pakistan has been confirmed A hamstring injury saw the England captain miss the series against Sri Lanka Ollie Pope will serve as captain once again after Stokes' sad injury news By Adrian Bishop Published: 09:33, 5 October 2024 | Updated: 09:34, 5 October 2024 e-mail View comments Ben Stokes ’s return to Test cricket has been further delayed after it was confirmed he will miss the first Test against Pakistan Stokes sat out the recent series at home to Sri Lanka after injuring his hamstring during the Hundred in August, but had been hopeful of resuming the captaincy for the first of six Tests in Pakistan and New Zealand between now and Christmas . Ollie Pope will captain the side in Stokes' absence after leading his team to a 2-1 win over the Sri Lankans. Stokes would not have bowled in the first Test in any case as he continues to manage his return from injury, and he only bowled an over or two off a couple of paces during training in near 40-degree heat in Multan on Friday.
But his absence once more leaves England needing to work out how best to balance the team as they return to the scene of a famous victory two years ago, when they became the first visiting side in Test history to win 3-0 in Pakistan. Ben Stokes has not been passed fit for En.