Ben Stokes is set to miss his fifth Test match in the past year as England prepares to face India at The Oval on Thursday.
Just five overs, in case you’re counting.
A mere five overs of actual cricket have transpired amidst the ongoing debates surrounding handshake etiquette, a heated exchange on the Oval pitch, and a nationwide concern over yet another aspect of Ben Stokes’ physical condition.
While two of these incidents might be considered minor controversies, one is undoubtedly significant. Among the various team compositions England could have fielded for the crucial final Test against India starting Thursday, Stokes’ absence was an unlikely scenario.
The team announcement on Wednesday was a startling revelation, primarily due to the stark reality of an England team without Stokes.
The stakes are considerable – a first series victory against India since 2018, and the first in a five-Test series against any opponent in the same period, are within reach. The stakes will be even higher for England’s subsequent Test in Perth in November.
Losing their talisman for this match is a significant blow, and it also raises the specter of England facing Australia in Australia without Ben Stokes. Depending on the outcome of that series, there is a remote possibility that he has played his last Test on home soil.
Once again, Stokes has pushed his body to its limits. In 2021, he underwent surgery on a fractured finger, followed by an operation to address his left knee two years later. In 2024, he sustained two separate hamstring injuries, the latter requiring surgical intervention. Now, he is dealing with a grade-three muscle tear in his right shoulder, an injury he initially sustained during the Indian Premier League in 2017.
Stokes has been exceptional in this series, earning the player of the match award in the past two Tests and arguably making the difference between two evenly matched teams.
His 17 wickets and 140 overs bowled are the most he has recorded in a single series throughout his career. He has outperformed the formidable Jasprit Bumrah and consistently shouldered the responsibility of leading the England attack.
The direct-hit run-out of Rishabh Pant in the third Test at Lord’s shifted the momentum of the match, ultimately securing England’s 2-1 lead. His century at Old Trafford was his first in two years, making him only the fourth England player to achieve a five-wicket haul and a century in the same Test.
However, this has come at a cost, raising concerns about the limits, even for a player of Stokes’ caliber.
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As early as 2018, then-England coach Trevor Bayliss urged Stokes to prioritize his well-being, particularly regarding his intense training regimen. Now, at 34, Stokes has reduced his training intensity, but remains committed on the field.
Is a diminished Ben Stokes always better than a fully fit Ben Stokes some of the time? It’s a moot point, simply because Stokes is incapable of reining it in.
England faced a similar situation last year when Stokes suffered his first hamstring injury, missing four Tests, including the first on the tour of Pakistan. Stokes’ determination to regain fitness led to him becoming withdrawn and irritable, culminating in him taking it out on the team on the field in Multan, for which he later apologized. The hope is that he has learned from that experience and will not be burdened at the start of the Ashes tour.
For now, he will remain with the England team, once again led by Ollie Pope. Stokes has not relinquished the larger room in the England hotel designated for the captain, which probably says plenty about who remains in charge.
Stokes is one of four changes from the Old Trafford Test, resulting in an unconventional England team. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, as well as spinner Liam Dawson, whose comeback after eight years lasted only one match, are out. Dawson, it turns out, is not the second coming of Daniel Vettori, and is competing with Rehan Ahmed for a place on the Ashes flight.
Jacob Bethell, who has played only one red-ball match in seven months; Gus Atkinson, one club game and one second XI fixture since May; and Jamie Overton, four first-class matches since September 2023, come in. Josh Tongue returns after being dropped for the third Test. At 36, Chris Woakes plays all five Tests.
Due to injuries, workload management, and selection decisions, England’s bowling attack has been stretched.
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The risk was way too high for damaging this any further – Stokes on injury
In addition to those who have been overworked in recent weeks, Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir are unavailable, and Matthew Potts has fallen out of contention for Test selection.
Sam Cook might have been a useful option on an Oval green top, but appears to have been judged on a disappointing debut against Zimbabwe. Josh Hull played here last year and has not been seen since. Lancashire’s Luke Wood was whispered about earlier in the summer. Maybe England should knock on the Sky commentary box and ask Stuart Broad to lace his boots up.
England won three out of four matches when Pope took charge last year, though the defeat did come here against Sri Lanka, one of the worst performances in the Bazball era.
The home side will instead be hoping for a repeat of 2023, the final Ashes Test. Back then, England arrived at The Oval on the back of a frustrating draw in Manchester, which could have turned momentum against them. They needed to win to square the series and duly did.
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Although India are set to be without Bumrah, they have won the other Test in this series in which he did not play. They will be buoyed by their escape at Old Trafford, which captain Shubman Gill said felt like a win.
The events at the end of that fifth day have been scrutinized, likely because the cricket itself was unremarkable.
Both teams had valid perspectives. India were justified in wanting Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to reach centuries, while England cannot be faulted for wanting to finish the match as quickly as possible after five sessions in the field. Still, there wasn’t much sign of the humility Brendon McCullum asked for at the beginning of the summer.
Similarly, Gill accused England of acting against the spirit of cricket during the third Test at Lord’s. It is unclear how Gautam Gambhir’s remarks to Oval groundsman Lee Fortis on Tuesday align with the spirit of cricket.
These incidents have undoubtedly caught the attention of those in Australia, who have taken a break from their own issues to comment on England’s ethics. If such stories are well-received down under, any concerns about Stokes’ fitness will further boost Australia’s confidence.
Stokes is respected and feared by the Australians, despite not performing at his peak on three previous tours there. There is a now a 114-day wait to see what sort of Stokes takes the field in the first Ashes Test.
Before then, England has a series to win, one that would rank among their best under Stokes, albeit with the skipper unable to see it through.
What began nearly seven weeks ago culminates in this. Gill and Joe Root. Bumrah and Archer. Bashir’s finger and Pant’s toe. Stokes and no Stokes. Handshakes and handbags. What a series.
One last dance.
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