England captain Ben Stokes eyeing comeback before Pakistan series

England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has resolved to make a comeback to the team ahead of the upcoming series against Pakistan.

Stokes missed the ongoing red-ball series against Sri Lanka after suffering a hamstring injury during the recently concluded The Hundred 2024.

The star all-rounder was playing for the Northern Superchargers in the tournament when he tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season.

England are set for a tour to Pakistan in October for the three-match Test series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25.

The two teams will face off in Multan on October 7 in the opening Test, with England expected to land in the country on October 2.

In a video uploaded by the England Cricket Board (ECB), Ben Stokes said that he was still in rehab and decided to stay with the team to be around team physio and doctors.

“I’m all good, just slowly progressing. It’s still very early days in the rehab period. I want to get back as quick as I possibly can, so being around the medical team here with physio and doctors, I thought that was going to give myself the best chance of getting back sooner rather than later,” the England Test captain added.

English last toured Pakistan in 2022 and whitewashed the hosts 3-0 in the red-ball series.

Meanwhile, England’s interim captain Ollie Pope expressed hope that Ben Stokes will return to the squad for the Pakistan series.

“Injuries are never ideal, but they’re also great chances for people to keep improving their game and have a little bit of time of reflection and think about what he can work on in his game. I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s doing in the nets. Going into that Pakistan series and then into New Zealand, he’s going to be as fresh as anyone,” Pope added.