Stokes injury leaves England with tense faces as english skipper apparently experiencing discomfort to his groin.
England sweat on Ben Stokes injury as spectre of absence looms.
Ben Stokes, the captain of England, pulled up sore while batting on the opening day of the third Test match against India at Lord’s, raising concerns about his fitness.
On a slow day when the hosts finished at 251 for 4 with Joe Root at 99 overnight, Stokes was undefeated at 39 after facing 102 balls.
After taking a step forward on number 32, Stokes left a delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy outside off and instantly flinched in agony, gripping his right groin.
After receiving some on-field care, he went back to his crease after calling for the physiotherapist. He was still clearly uncomfortable, though, as he hobbled off to a single and sat on his haunches in an attempt to relax in between deliveries. As Root eyed a century and the second new ball was brought out, Stokes was stretching once more.
The going was difficult, but Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah got things going right away, just like they did at the beginning of the day.
With a look behind point on 98, Root believed he may hit his milestone, but he was only able to get a single as Ravindra Jadeja swooped and called for Root to return for a second while he smiled and hung onto the ball. However, he was not going to take the chance, particularly because Stokes was running a worry.
Ollie Pope hoped the unidentified issue would go away overnight. He faced 104 balls for his 44 before losing to Jadeja on the first ball following tea.
“Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong,” Pope said. “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.”
As vice-captain, Pope acknowledged he had a part to play in ensuring that Stokes didn’t push himself too hard in spite of the problem.
“We’ll see how he pulls up tomorrow, 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.”