England unsure if Ben Stokes will be fit for Test series opener in Pakistan

England could be without Ben Stokes for next week’s opening Test in Pakistan, with Zak Crawley admitting the tourists do not know if the captain will be fit for duty.

Stokes tore his hamstring in August while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and sat out the three-match series against Sri Lanka, leaving Ollie Pope to take over as skipper.

He had been hoping to make his comeback in Monday’s series opener in Multan but has yet to be given the green light.

Stokes was on hand for England’s first practice session but bowled just a handful of gentle deliveries off a couple of strides and looked uncomfortable at times during his batting stint.

“He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury, (but) we don’t know just yet. We feel ready, whatever team comes out it will be a nice balance either way.

“We’ve got a really deep squad with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well.”

Should Stokes be confined to the balcony, where he watched all three of the games against Sri Lanka in an observing capacity, it could spare England a tricky team selection.

Were he to play as a specialist batter, as he has done before when carrying niggles, England would surely want a fifth bowling option and may be forced to cut one of the top six.

He will take a temporary sabbatical from the slips, where he suffered the fracture against the West Indies at Edgbaston, but is otherwise fighting fit and has been netting for just over a fortnight.

“I feel brand new. I’m looking forward to getting out there,” he said.

“I couldn’t pick up a bat for five weeks. I’ve certainly missed it, so I can’t wait to get out there again with the boys.

“It was a nasty break at the time but I’ve recovered well and I don’t feel it at all while I’m batting.

Crawley’s enforced downtime means he has not played a competitive innings since July 26 but, despite having no warm-up fixtures leading in to the Test series, feels more than ready to go.

“I always think of it like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” he said.

“It’s not like I need two weeks to prepare, because this is something I’ve been doing since I was 12 years old. I’m always ready to play. That’s just what I do.”

Crawley has good memories of playing Pakistan, against whom his average leaps from its overall mark of 32.23 to 69.37. He was the first of four England centurions on a remarkable opening day of their previous tour in 2022, which saw them rack up over 500 runs in just 75 overs.

“That’s my favourite thing about opening, you get to create the tempo and set it for your innings,” he said.

“I love doing that. I take pride in that knock, one of the favourite days of my career.”

England noted a tinge of of green on the pitch when they practised on Friday and may ponder a third seamer, bringing Brydon Carse into the frame for a possible debut.