Ben Stokes' Pakistan tour hinges on scan reports of hamstring

England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes was ruled out of the English summer due to hamstring injury. The all-rounder picked up the injury playing for Northamptonshire in The Hundred 2024. He was unavailable for the Sri Lanka series at home and pledged to come back when the team travels the subcontinent. Ahead of the boarding flight to Pakistan, his availability depends on the scan reports.

The 33-year-old is keeping himself busy with training and was also involved in the net sessions at Durham's Chester-le-Street. Other than cricket, he was seen indulging in Celebrity Pro-Am at the PGA Championship golf event at Wentworth. Though on the outskirt, the veteran seems to have gained lost mojo but match fitness depends on the scans which are routine monitoring.

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"I'd rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse and then putting myself out of the game for longer,” Stokes had said on his comeback as quoted by India Today.

Ollie Pope to step-in in Stokes' potential absence 

Amidst all this, Stokes is named in the 17-member squad to land in Pakistan for the red-ball series. In the absence of the southpaw, Ollie Pope had held the captaincy reigns against Sri Lanka. If the former is unavailable for the first Test, Pope is expected to lead the side in the first Test on October 7.

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For the unversed, England will be playing three Tests against Pakistan with the first Test scheduled to be held in Multan. The subsequent Tests shall be played in Karachi and Rawalpindi respectively. The last time Three Lions toured the country, the whitewashed the hosts by 3-0.