England is yet to pick their team for their Test series against Pakistan. The Test, which starts on August 5, would take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Stadium. The man causing the delay, Ben Stokes is recovering from a quad injury. The injury kept him away from the third Test between England and West Indies last week.

Stokes’ condition seems to have improved since last week as he was seen bowling on Monday during training. Weather conditions prevented any chance of bowling on Tuesday, further making it uncertain if he would be available for the test or not.

Speaking on the situation, captain of the England team, Joe Root said that Stokes should be given a bit more time to be sure of his condition. He said, “We still need to know a little bit more about where Ben’s at. Unfortunately because of the weather [on Tuesday], he wasn’t able to bowl outside so we will probably have to wait on that throughout tonight and make a decision in the morning. Ben is so committed to the team that he will always put his body on the line but the more he has played the more mature he has got.

Root further assured that there were players available to fill up Stokes’ spot if he is unable to make the test. Dom Bess took Stokes’ place last week even though he did not bowl at all. Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jofra Archer,  and Chris Woakes were also chosen to fill the vacuum created by Stokes’ absence. A repeat formation could happen in the next test if Stokes is unable to make it.

Even though Root acknowledged that they had a couple of replacements that could fill in the place of Stokes, he (Stokes) was a valuable asset to the team because of his position as an all-rounder.

 
 
Written by: Leon Osamor