England Names Ollie Pope as Stand-In Captain for Sri Lanka Series as Stokes sustained the injury in The Hundred.

Ollie Pope will lead the squad in his absence of Ben Stokes / Getty

England is facing the remainder of the English summer without the services of Ben Stokes, their regular Test captain. A tear in his left hamstring, sustained during The Hundred, has ruled Stokes out for the Sri Lanka series, which starts on 21 August.

In Stokes' absence, Ollie Pope has been appointed as the stand-in captain for the two-match series. The English squad, announced without a replacement for Stokes, includes Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.

Stokes, who was spotted on crutches after a recent match, aims to regain full fitness in time for England's tour of Pakistan in early October. This is not the first injury Stokes has faced this year, having undergone knee surgery in November 2023, which initially limited his role to batting only.

Despite the setback, England is determined to keep their momentum going. They recently recorded a 3-0 series sweep against the West Indies, moving up to 6th place in the World Test Championship standings. The team is keen to maintain this form in their upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Nasser Hussain reacts to the news that Stokes will miss English Summer.

video - Sky sports cricket