Ben Stokes has been ruled out of England’s fifth Test against India, with the hosts making four changes for the Kia Oval fixture.
It is understood Stokes has sustained a grade three muscle tear around his right shoulder, meaning a significant lay-off awaits the all-rounder of around six to seven weeks.
Also missing out are spinner Liam Dawson and pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse.
Stokes has been battling a variety of fitness issues over the course of the series and has finally been laid low with a problem that reared its head during last week’s draw at Old Trafford.
England do not play Test cricket again until the Ashes this winter, meaning the 34-year-old could face a tight recovery period to be fit for the hotly anticipated series.
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As their fourth Test match drew to a close, England and India were once again left unhappy with each other as Ravindra Jadeja continued to bat for the visitors to make his century, despite the result being a draw.
“I am obviously disappointed,” Stokes said in his press conference on Wednesday.
“I have got a decent tear in one of the muscles I can’t pronounce. We took as long as we could to make the decision around that.
“Obviously, there is a bit of emotion that goes into this stuff when you find out what you have done. I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter.
“I think you need that time chatting with the medical team, Baz (McCullum), then 20 minutes with myself to really be clear around the decision that we made.
“It is one of those of weighing up the risk and reward and the risk was way too high for the damage.
“I wouldn’t expect to put any of my players at risk with an injury like this so I will start rehabbing now and focus on what we have got coming up in the winter.
“Once the series was done, I was feet up anyway, so it doesn’t make too much difference from what I had at the end of the series until the winter anyway.”
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India’s Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja reach their hundreds before shaking hands to announce the draw on day five.
England have included Jacob Bethell, who will bat at six. Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton come into the side, along with Josh Tongue to make up a new pace attack.
With skipper Stokes out, Ollie Pope will take on the captaincy. Joe Root and Bethell are the spin options in the line-up.
There have been many waiting for rising star Bethell to get his opportunity in the series and Stokes believes he will show his quality when he “slots in” the batting order at No 6.
“We are still able to field an 11 that is going to give us a very good chance of winning this game and winning the series. That is the benefit of having a very strong squad,” Stokes added.
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Watch highlights from the final day of the fourth Test between England and India at the Emirates Old Trafford as India’s batsmen frustrate the hosts to hold on for a draw and keep the series alive.
“We have some good cricketers to choose from when we find ourselves in a situation like this.
“So, let’s put full concentration on the 11 we have got out there this week. We are very confident we have got the ability to win this game and the series.
“There was a lot more hype and pressure on his shoulders when he (Bethell) got given the chance to bat at no 3 in New Zealand and he handled that pretty well.
“I think being the type of player that he is where he plays all three formats probably allows him to be a bit more versatile with where he bats in the order.
“He will slide in at six and I am very confident in his ability, he is a quality player, I think we all know that.
“We weren’t going to change the batting order at all so it is quite easy for him to slot in at six.”
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India coach Gautam Gambhir is involved in a heated exchange with the Surrey’s head of ground staff Lee Fortis after he had asked India to move off the square. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak believed that Fortis was being ‘overprotective’.
Meanwhile, India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is not expected to play in the final Test.
Bumrah has already played three Tests in the series, the maximum workload the team management had targeted for the bowler after he spent three months on the sidelines with a back injury before returning to action in April.
England line-up for fifth Test vs India: 1. Zak Crawley, 2. Ben Duckett, 3. Ollie Pope (c), 4. Joe Root, 5. Harry Brook, 6. Jacob Bethell, 7. Jamie Smith (wk), 8. Chris Woakes, 9. Gus Atkinson, 10. Jamie Overton, 11. Josh Tongue
Watch the fifth Test between England and India, at The Kia Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket from Thursday or stream without a contract. Build-up begins at 10am ahead of the first ball at 11am.
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
