INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2025
Ben Stokes was in considerable pain while batting on the first day © Getty
England will wait to see if Ben Stokes is fully fit to take the field on the second day of the fourth Test against India at Lord’s. The England captain finished unbeaten on 39 in the midst of a gritty alliance with Joe Root, but was in considerable pain in the passage of play just before stumps. Stokes stepped forward and let a ball from Nitish Reddy go, before clutching his right groin and feeling the pain. He had the physio attend to him before continuing to bat on. Though he did that, he looked in pain for what was left in the day, hobbling while running.
His deputy Ollie Pope hoped Stokes would ‘come back strong’ on the second day where the hosts will look to crack on after a day of batting restraint after he won the toss.
“Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong,” Pope said after the first day’s play. “I’ve not seen him since, so fingers crossed there’s nothing too serious. But clearly we’ve got a big Test over the next four days and we’ve got a big two [at Old Trafford and The Oval] coming up as well, so it is important to try and manage him.”
“We’ll see how he pulls up, but for me, that is partially one of my roles, to make sure that he doesn’t push himself to a ridiculous place with whatever he’s dealing with at the moment,” Pope said. “I’m sure the physios, the medics will work with him to lay out a plan and then I’ll help push him in the right direction,” Pope added.
An injury scare for Stokes will have England sweating, considering the captain has also recently increased his bowling workload following multiple surgeries in the last couple of years. Stokes was one of the better bowlers for his side in the win at Leeds, where he bowled 35 overs across the two innings for five wickets.
© Cricbuzz
