Hamstring injury sidelines England Test skipper Ben Stokes for rest of summer

The 33-year-old suffered the injury while batting for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday and was later seen on crutches.

Stokes will miss England’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins on August 21.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “England Men’s Test Captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday.

“As a result of the scans conducted in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England’s three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, 21 August.

“The all-rounder is aiming to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to start in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.”

Vice-captain Ollie Pope is set to step up and lead the side for the three-Test series against Sri Lanka.

Brendon McCullum’s side then play the first Test against Pakistan on October 7 in Multan.

Stokes had knee surgery last November and then ruled himself out of England’s T20 World Cup title defence earlier this year to focus on being fit to fulfil his role as an all-rounder in the Test side.

He took five wickets in the 3-0 series victory over the West Indies this summer and appeared to be back to full fitness before suffering the hamstring tear against Manchester Originals at Old Trafford.

It is another injury setback for England, with opener Zak Crawley already ruled out of the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger. Seamer Dillon Pennington, an unused member of the squad against the West Indies, is another to miss out having also suffered a hamstring injury while in action for Northern Superchargers.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports: “(He’s an) irreplaceable cricketer, captain…one of England’s finest ever captains, the way he’s led the side. He’s changed the mindset of the side.

“You’ve got to replace an all-rounder who was actually doing an all rounder’s role recently, so you’ve almost got to bring in two cricketers for one.

“The frustration when he hit his leg was not about the hamstring, it was about the work he’s put in to get himself fit, all the work he’s done to get ready.

“He’s looked as trim as I’ve ever seen him look and he loves Test match cricket. Everything about him is about being Test match captain and he’s going to miss three Test matches. So (there’s) huge frustration for him and for England as well.”

Sri Lanka meanwhile have appointed Ian Bell as their batting coach for their tour of England. Bell played 118 Tests for England, scoring 22 centuries.

“We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there. Ian has a lot of experience playing in England, and we believe his inputs will help our team in this crucial tour,” said Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley De Silva.