England name stand-in captain as Stokes is ruled out of Sri Lanka Test series

London : A tear in his left hamstring, sustained during The Hundred, has ruled Ben Stokes out for the remainder of the English summer. Consequently, he will miss the two-match series against Sri Lanka, which starts on 21 August.

England have opted not to name a replacement for Stokes in their squad for the Sri Lanka series. In his absence, Ollie Pope will serve as the captain of the Test team, as per the ICC.

Stokes was spotted on crutches after The Hundred game between Northern Superchargers and Manchester Originals on Sunday.

England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) statement said that the 33-year-old aimed to regain full fitness in time for England's tour of Pakistan in early October, where they are scheduled to play a three-match Test series.

Stokes had returned to full fitness following knee surgery in November 2023, which had previously limited his role to batting only. Since his return, he resumed bowling duties, featuring in the series against India earlier this year and more recently against the West Indies.

England recorded a 3-0 series sweep against the Windies to move up to 6th place in the World Test Championship standings and will be keen to keep that momentum going against Sri Lanka, as per the ICC.

England squad for Sri Lanka series: Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.