England’s Ben Stokes ruled out for rest of summer | UK News

England Test team captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out until the end of the summer with a torn hamstring.

Stokes, 33, suffered the injury while batting for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred on Sunday and was later seen on crutches.

The all-rounder had to be helped off the field after climbing while running between the wickets.

Stokes will miss England’s next Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on August 21.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “England men’s Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after rupturing his left hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred in Sunday.

“As a result of tests carried out in Leeds on Tuesday, Stokes will miss England’s three-match Rothesay Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday 21 August.

“The all-rounder intends to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to begin in early October. The tour includes three Test matches in Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.”

Vice-captain Ollie Pope is expected to step up and lead the team in the three-Test series against Sri Lanka, which also features games at Lord’s and The Oval.

Stokes hopes to return for England’s winter Test tour of Pakistan, scheduled to begin in Multan in October.

Former England batsman Ian Bell has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s batting coach for the tour of England. Bell played 118 Tests for England, scoring 22 centuries.

“We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with important information about conditions there. Ian has a lot of experience playing in England and we believe his contributions will help our team on this crucial tour,” said Cricket’s chief executive from Sri Lanka, Ashley De Silva.