England captain Ben Stokes will miss the final Test against India due to a shoulder injury. This absence creates an opportunity for India to level the series, prompting varied reactions from fans.
The England Cricket team on Wednesday announced their playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the ongoing series at the Oval in London, starting on Thursday, July 31. Ahead of the series decider, the hosts have received a big blow as Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Oval Test due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Manchester Test.
There was uncertainty over Ben Stokes’s participation in the Oval Test due to fitness concerns after he suffered a shoulder muscle tear on the final day of the Manchester Test, where he picked a fifer and scored a century in the first innings before Team India salvaged a draw to push the five-match series into a decider in the final Test.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the all-rounder has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test of the series against India at Kennington Oval, with Ollie Pope stepping in as captain. Stokes was replaced by Jacob Bethell, who will make his fourth appearance in his Test career at the Oval.
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Ben Stokes ‘disappointed’ to be ruled out of the Oval Test
England skipper Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment at not being available to play the series decider at the Oval due to a muscle tear in his shoulder. Speaking at the press conference, Stokes stated it was a ‘decent’ tear on his shoulder injury, and the decision to be ruled out of the fifth Test was taken after consulting the medical team.
“I've got a decent tear of one of the muscles that I can't pronounce because I don't know how to say it. It obviously took as long as we could to make that decision around that.,” Stokes said.
“I came down here this morning to give myself every chance I've seen, just to play as a batter. I was bowling and then ruled out as soon as we got the scan results.”
“The risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is. I wouldn't expect to put anyone else, any one of my players, at risk with an injury like,” he added.
In the second innings of England’s bowling, Ben Stokes bowled for only 11 overs and picked KL Rahul’s wicket on the final day, and conceded 33 runs at an economy rate of 3.
Additionally, Stokes batted for two days and completed his 14th Test century, scoring 141 off 198 balls to help England post a formidable total of 669 in the first innings and take a 311-run lead.
Here’s how Netizens react to Ben Stokes' unavailability for the 5th Test
After the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed Ben Stokes’s unavailability for the series decider, netizens believe that it is a big advantage for Team India to level the series, while others praised the England skipper’s performance throughout the series, especially Manchester Test.
In four Tests of the ongoing series against India, Ben Stokes has amassed 304 runs, including a century, at an average of 43.42, and took 17 wickets, including a fifer, at an average of 25.23 and 3.06.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, and Brydon Carse are also out of the Playing XI, and they were replaced by Gus Aktinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue in the team for the series decider.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
